It's Good to be the King
by Caribou Kid
Summary: Lee Crane finds himself to be a stranger in a strange land, and only by pulling off a miracle can he ever hope to return home.
1. Chapter 1

**It's Good to be the King**

 **By Caribou Kid**

Lee Crane, captain of the SSRN Seaview, was suddenly and inexplicably awake, why he didn't know. As his eyes flew open he was now keenly alert, finding himself in total darkness, which given where he had fallen asleep should not be the case. The subdued light from the passageway should be shining from beneath the door to his cabin. Pondering the absence of light, he also came to the realization there was also an absence of sound. He should be able to hear the steady and reassuring thrum of Seaview's engines, or the screech of her klaxon's given there was no light or sound, but all he heard was silence. The silence was as oppressive as the darkness and his eyes and ears ached as he strained for the slightest glimmer of light or hint of sound.

He next engaged his other senses trying desperately to garner information about where he was, and why. He spread wide his hands and noticed that he was laying on a table of some sort. It seemed to be made of polished wood or metal that was faintly cool to the touch. Relieved to find that he was not bound to the table, he moved his arms and legs to the sides but their progress was halted by a low raised lip running around the table. He next lifted his arms up feeling for anything above him and found nothing restricting his movement. He let loose a quick sigh thrilled at not being buried alive.

As he processed what information he had gained, he began to smell floral and spice aromas like those of oils and perfumes. The odors saturated the space to the point of almost being overwhelming and he felt a headache begin to form from the olfactory overload. He sniffed again and realized that he too smelled of the heady fragrances, as though he'd been bathed in whatever they were.

He cautiously sat up and eased his legs over the edge of the table at which time he realized he was naked. "Damn," he said quietly to himself. Nothing made him feel more vulnerable and exposed than having nothing on in an unknown situation.

Uncertain how far beneath him the floor lay, he rotated so that the front of his thighs rested on the edge and he slowly lowered himself down. He was surprised that the table was slightly lower than waist high and his bare feet touched softly down on what felt like polished stone and fine sand. Lee slowly stood upright letting his entire weight rest on the floor. He next made a slow circuit around the table, never removing his hand as it represented his only contact with something tangible. He encountered nothing blocking his way and was afforded no clue as to where he was.

He returned to his starting point and considered how best to move forward. With no obvious hints regarding the room around him short of the aromas he had detected, he had no idea which direction to go. At this point one direction was as good as another and he decided to walk straight ahead. He shuffled forward arms up and hands out in front, making sure each step was secure before fully putting his weight down.

He had taken four or five steps before he heard his first sound. It sounded much like stone moving against stone, like a boulder being moved from in front of a door. He froze not knowing what to expect. Within seconds he made out a wan light from a doorway across the room. It was growing steadily larger and brighter as he heard the steps of the ones who brought the light. As he looked toward the light, it slowly began to brighten the room around him.

Of what he could see, the walls were a nondescript stone with no markings or other indications of its purpose. He noticed a number of large amphora and smaller clay pots staged in a line along one wall. No doubt that was the source of the scents. He could barely make out the table behind him, which looked to be painted black with a gold stripe around the raised edge and it was sitting in the middle of the room. It was still too dark to make out the ceiling or how far above him it rose. All he really knew was there was apparently only one way in or out and that was in the direction of the encroaching light.

Not certain what kind of reception to expect, Lee quickly assessed his physical condition and found himself unharmed aside from a sore cheek from a couple of days earlier when he'd met up with Nelson's fist, but otherwise felt fine. He stood up straight, legs slightly apart, squarely facing the approaching light. He braced himself unsure of how the others would react when they discovered him standing in the room.

(o1ooo

As those with the light approached, it became obvious that there were four people bearing torches to light the way. They appeared to be young boys, maybe eight to ten years old. Behind them he could see two columns of men marching side by side chanting solemnly as they walked. He couldn't see how many there were but estimated at least six. When they entered the chamber they immediately froze as they regarded Lee standing in the room.

Three of the boys screamed in fear, dropped their torches and instantly turned and fled back down the passageway they had traversed. The fourth stood frozen, unable to move so overcome by the vision before him. The men behind the boys had immediately dropped to the floor prostrating themselves in extreme obeisance.

Lee carefully scrutinized the men before him. They all had shaved heads and wore simple linen robes. One man had a leopard skin that was worn over his shoulder almost like a cape, most likely indicating he was higher in rank. The boy wore a simple linen tunic and his head was clean shaven as well. As he stared at them he had a faint recollection of seeing pictures of people dressed like this before but the instance eluded him. The men were speaking and chanting softly as they lay stretched out on the ground, almost as though they were praying. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded vaguely Arabic.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?" Lee finally said.

The man wearing the leopard skin pushed up to his knees, eyes averted, and spoke. Lee definitely didn't understand what was said, but the dialect was similar to Arabic. "Do you speak English?" he inquired.

The man said something else and folded down upon his knees in subservience. Lee sighed in frustration. This was getting him nowhere, although the more he spoke the more Lee seemed to pick out words that sounded familiar. He could swear they were calling him Majesty or Highness if his linguistic skills were working right.

Lee moved forward to the man and stood before him. " _Rise"_ he said in Arabic hoping he had made the correct assumption as to the base language. The man shook his head quaking with fear and remained in place, unwilling to look upon Lee or rise to his level. Just as he was about to grasp the man about the shoulders and guide him to his feet, he heard a vaguely familiar voice from the passageway in front of him.

"That will do you no good Captain, and will most likely cause the man to have a heart attack. He thinks Isis has resurrected you, and you have returned from the dead."

Crane looked up and into the shadowy hallway in front of him, spying a short, mousey, older man, with thinning brown hair graying at the temples walking towards him. He wore a linen tunic similar to the men on the floor before him with the exception of it being more ornate and he also wore what appeared to be leather sandals. Upon seeing him more fully in the light Lee growled at his immediate recognition of the intruder.

"Pem!" Lee spat, with all the vehemence and disgust of an unpalatable curse. "Are you responsible for this?! Are you the one who brought me here, wherever or more appropriately, whenever here is?"

"It's nice to see you too, Captain. My you are in fine fettle, aren't you?" Pem quipped as he regarded Lee standing there completely nude. Lee literally snarled and moved towards the smirking man menacingly, causing him to shrink back in concern. "Be nice or I won't give you this," he continued as he held up a tunic.

Lee backed off, at which point Pem tossed him the garment. He snagged it out of the air and quickly pulled the tunic on. "What the hell do you mean he thinks I've risen from the dead? Who does he think I am? Where am I, Pem?!"

Pem regarded the boy and men sprawled on the ground quaking in fear and said something in their language that got them quickly to their feet and out of the chamber. "Where you are at this very second, is a funerary chamber and those men are priests that were coming to prepare you for the afterlife, or more accurately the Pharaoh, for the afterlife. He was killed in battle yesterday and was brought here for his mummification in preparation for burial."

"Pharaoh? Mummification? When the hell am I, Pem?!" Lee inquired incredulously.

"The year is 2643 B.C. You are standing in a tomb in ancient Egypt near Saqqara," Pem responded calmly.

"And why exactly have you brought me here? What has this got to do with me?"

"Well Captain, not to make this sound overly melodramatic but you are here to fulfil your destiny and save mankind from extinction."

"What?! You can't be serious. What makes you think I can do that? Why would they mistake me for this dead pharaoh? Nothing you say makes any sense," Lee retorted with a snort and short bark of laughter.

Pem gave him one of his patented condescending smiles as he shook his head. "Ever wonder where you came from, Captain? Who your family was? How you came to grow up an orphan?"

Lee glared at Pem. "How did you know I grew up an orphan?"

"Because I'm the man who made you one," Pem revealed.

ooo1o)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The room suddenly fell silent and Lee felt as though he had actually been entombed as the weight of Pem's words hit him. He swayed momentarily as he processed the implications of that statement and then was overcome by a sudden wave of anger and fury, which he only managed to restrain by the thinnest of threads keeping him from attacking the smaller man.

"What?! You've got to be kidding." Lee's face suddenly flushed red with anger. "I don't believe you," he ground out.

"It's true. You were born here 35 years ago, the second of identical twin boys born to the Pharaoh Djoser and his consort Hetephemebti. Shortly after you were born, you were spirited away to safety and the Pharaoh was told that his second son had died shortly after birth. The body of another infant boy who had died during birth along with his slave mother, was substituted for you as proof. No one but I knew you had survived. I then took you forward in time and gave you to a couple wanting to adopt a child in the United States."

"This is absurd Pem. Why the hell would anyone go to these lengths? Why do you say I was _spirited_ away to safety? Why take me so far out of time to 'protect' me?" Lee asked as his mind reeled from the information.

"Had you remained in this time, you would have been assassinated long before you were allowed to reach adulthood, regardless of where I had stashed you. You would have posed a threat to your older brother's ascendancy to the throne once it was determined you were identical, as well as for other reasons. An unfortunate 'accident' would have befallen you," Pem expounded. "As it stands, Sekhemkhet rules, or more correctly ruled Egypt with his queen Djeseretnebti. He was killed before he and his army could defeat an aggressor force from Nubia, which is supported by visitors not of this Earth. He should not have succumbed in that battle, there were meddlesome hands at play that tipped the balance. Those same visitors are the ones who would have tracked you down and had you eliminated."

Lee stared at the time traveler looking nonplussed by his explanation. After a moment, he responded. "I think you've folded through time and space a few times too often Pem and left your reason behind. You're stark raving mad. You don't consider your actions meddlesome? Why don't you just go after the person who killed the Pharaoh and stop him before he acts? Why and when are humans facing extinction? How? And why would you need me to do this?"

"My you are so _full_ of questions, Captain," Pem replied with a smirk.

"You better start answering some of them if you expect any assistance from me," Lee ground out as he once again started to move towards the smaller man.

Pem scuttled quickly to the side heading for the table in the center of the room so he'd have something between him and the very angry man in front of him. "There are certain rules that prohibit direct meddling in human events. Actions can only be taken by people born of the time, hence the reason you have been brought back to _your_ true time and place of birth. We can inform and encourage, but we cannot act. The others broke the rules and murdered the Pharaoh before he could lead his men to victory, and I am resetting the balance. A reboot you might say. We can be likened to angels and demons from your people's religious beliefs; we whisper in your ears, but it's up to the individual to decide whether or not to act."

"So what are the angels like?" Lee snarled.

"Now that's unkind, Captain," Pem answered, sounding genuinely hurt. "I am here to help you save your people from obliteration from an alien entity at some point in your future. The critical event that prevents that from happening is tied to the defeat of this ancient people here and now. You must lead your brother's men into battle against the Nubians and prevail to secure your species continued existence," Pem explained.

"And just how the hell am I supposed to pull that one off? I don't even speak the language. Are you going to play interpreter during the heat of the battle? In all honesty Pem, I can't see you placing yourself anywhere near harm's way."

Pem scowled at Crane and his insinuation of cowardice. "I will remedy that, Captain. You're naturally wired to process and grasp different languages as you have already discovered, I will just accelerate your comprehension of this one," Pem replied, then pulled a small device from his tunic, aimed it at Lee and activated it. A small pinpoint of cobalt blue light appeared on Lee's chest for about a minute and then went out. "There, now you understand and speak the local language."

Lee glared at Pem and rubbed the spot on his chest where the light had shone. "That only addresses the language, there are the other factors like having no knowledge of this culture, social norms, and more importantly the memories and personal relationships the Pharaoh had with his people and confidants. I seriously doubt you have the capability for that kind of memory transfer," he retorted.

"Oh I have a plan and an explanation for all of that, I assure you. I will coach you on the most important people you must deal with, and because you have passed over and been in the presence of Isis and Anubis your memories of your old life have almost been wiped clean. Isis has sent you back to protect your people and to see that they prosper and flourish by driving the Nubian's from your lands," Pem expounded.

"You honestly think they'll buy that line of bull? Nobody could be that gullible."

"The times are quite different Captain, and these people deeply believe in their gods and their abilities to perform miracles. The priests will proclaim this as true and there will be no hesitancy to accept you or your leadership," Pem assured.

Lee stared in silence at Pem for nearly a minute and took great enjoyment in watching the little man squirm as his eyes bored into him. "Why should I believe you Pem? As I remember the last time we met you were trying to alter the outcome of the Revolutionary War, you seemed to have had no problem with trying to destroy my country. So why are you being so _altruistic_ in ensuring the continuation of my species? What's in it for you Pem? And if you tell me it's beyond my comprehension, I will slap you silly," Lee asked as he moved to the table.

Pem skittered back. "You're just going to have to take some things on faith, Captain. Granted I've given you little reason to believe me, but in this instance, I'm telling you the truth. My act of altruism, to use your word, is because the human race has value to me. Aside from providing me with resources I need, I genuinely like your people. You are a rather belligerent and quarrelsome lot, but you also hold great promise and are advancing at a meteoric rate in comparison to others throughout the galaxy. That is the only explanation I will give."

"Okay, now for the big question, why do you think I would choose to help you in any way?"

"For one thing to ensure the continuation of your species, and for another I will not return you to your precious submarine if you don't," Pem said, smirking at Crane.

Lee stood there momentarily considering all he had heard. He in no way trusted Pem and hated having to take anything from him based solely on faith. On the other hand, he wanted to go back to his own time and place, and if this was the only way to do it he had little choice. Pem held all the cards.

"One more question before I give you my answer. Why was it so all important that I grow up an orphan, Pem? Why did I have to go through all that hell?" Lee inquired bitterly.

"In all honesty Captain, that part was an unforeseen accident. The couple in whose care I had left you were killed in an accident and you'd disappeared before I realized what had happened. It took me quite a while to finally track you down because repeated jumps back to a specific time and place would have drawn unwanted attention. It was by pure luck that I encountered you onboard Seaview. Once I realized who you were, I backtracked your life looking for the moment you had disappeared so that I might change that and set you on another course," Pem began.

"As I looked into your history, I discovered you had the upbringing that would best prepare you for what needs to be done now. Whether you realize and appreciate it or not, those early experiences prepared you for all the success you've enjoyed in your adult life. It forged you, hardened you, and tempered you like a fine sword. Your education both on the streets and then at the Naval Academy and ONI, along with the association with Nelson developed the razor-sharp edge that makes you such a formidable commander. Chance intervened, if you believe in such things, and provided the better solution," Pem continued.

Lee regarded the man a moment more as he digested his version of the truth. He sighed deeply knowing if he wanted to go home, he would have to play along. "All right Pem, I'll play your game. I don't truly trust you but will take it on _faith_ that your intentions are not only to your benefit. You will return me to my time and place when all this is done, correct?"

Pem smiled and nearly danced a jig of joy. "You won't regret this Captain, I assure you," he said excitedly. "And yes, I will return you to your submarine once you have carried out your mission."

"I'll hold you to your word, Pem," Lee growled.

Pem nodded and smiled again. "Now we must get you up to speed and inserted into your new life as Pharaoh. Come along Captain we have much to do."

(o1ooo

Pem hurried down the passageway with Crane following reluctantly behind. After taking numerous turns, he emerged from the structure into the glaring morning sunlight of the Egyptian desert. Off to the side were the priests huddled beneath a tent talking animatedly about what had just occurred.

Once outside Lee slowly turned about taking in the scenery around him. He was startled to see they had emerged from a large step pyramid. Other than the tent there was little else around. A few feet away was an ornate chariot, along and a number of wagons filled with supplies no doubt needed by the priests to complete their work. A hitching post was next to the wagons and the horses were tethered there in front of pots of water.

Pem moved quickly over to the priests and began speaking with them, providing them the back story he had created for the Pharaoh's sudden appearance. They hesitantly cast surreptitious glances Lee's way as Pem described what had occurred.

"Your Majesty," Pem called as he grabbed the arm of the priest wearing the leopard's skin and turned him to face Lee. "This is your Grand Priest Yuia." The priest immediately dropped to the ground in the presence of the Pharaoh.

Lee looked down on the man for a moment then over at Pem. " _Rise,"_ Lee ordered imperiously. Pem stifled a grin as Crane's training, bearing, and command presence allowed him to step easily into the role of ancient ruler.

The priest quickly climbed to his feet, yet did not dare risk making eye contact with the Pharaoh, especially one delivered back from the dead by Isis herself. "Your wish is my command, Majesty. How may I be of service to you?" Yuia inquired quietly.

"You will accompany me and Pem back to the city and bear witness to what you have seen in the chamber. The others will remain behind to seal the tomb back up in readiness for my return once I have finished Isis' bidding," Lee replied authoritatively.

"Yes, my great Pharaoh. Immediately, sire," Yuia responded then whirled around and returned to his men to give them the Pharaoh's orders. The other priests and assistants sprang into action as some moved to harness the horses and others beat a hasty retreat to the pyramid to close things up.

As they worked, Lee looked speculatively at Pem. "How do you fit into all this Pem? How is it they accept you so easily?"

"I am one of your most trusted advisors," Pem replied and then chuckled.

Lee rolled his eyes then wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as they waited for the horses to be hitched to the chariot and wagons. "Apparently, my brother wasn't good at making astute character assessments," Lee sniped. "Where is the real Pharaoh, by the way?"

"He's safely on ice somewhere in time," Pem answered, as he glared at Crane. "When you have accomplished your task and have been returned to your time and place, he will be returned so the priests may complete their work so he may receive the burial he is due."

Lee nodded. "So what now?"

"We return to the palace and get you situated there. I will school you in what you need to know to get by and who people are within your court. Next you will be re-introduced to the commanders of your military so you may begin planning your counter-attack on the Nubian forces."

"How did the Pharaoh die, Pem?" Lee inquired.

"It was in actual battle. The Nubians had broken through the defensive line and rushed to the rear. Sekhemkhet had joined in the fray to drive back the advancing troops. He got into hand to hand combat with a Nubian soldier and was killed, but not by his opponent; which is why you are here now. It proved a devastating blow to his troops as the lines completely collapsed, and the commanders called a retreat to regroup and develop a new battle plan to protect the city of Memphis," Pem explained. "They retrieved his body from the field of battle and brought it back here."

As Pem finished up, Yuia returned. "We are ready to leave at your leisure, Your Highness," he said, bowing low.

"I am ready to depart now. Let us be on our way," Lee ordered and Yuia instantly turned and led the men to the waiting chariot.

"Do you wish a driver, sire?" Yuia inquired.

"Yes, get me a driver," Lee replied as he stepped aboard. "Coming Pem?"

"Of course Your Majesty," Pem answered and scrambled aboard.

Yuia gestured rapidly calling one of the young assistants over to drive the chariot. The young man quickly climbed on and took up the reins. "This is Djar. He will ensure that you arrive safely at your destination."

"Very good, you may proceed when you are ready," Lee responded then gripped the thin rail running along the top of the chariot as the man snapped the reins and the horses began to move.

ooo1o)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Pem kept up a continuous monologue in English, providing background and other insights regarding the life and times of the Pharaoh Sekhemkhet. He told Lee of his wife and children, described the layout of the palace, identified the various military commanders of his army, and other aspects of the political and religious hierarchy of the time. As he spoke Lee listened in silence as he scanned the surrounding area getting a feel for the country around him. Yuia and two other priests followed behind in one of the wagons accompanying the Pharaoh back as instructed.

As the chariot passed through the main gate and entered the city it was pandemonium. The surprise and shock of seeing the Pharaoh alive and apparently well, set off a flurry of activity as the news spread like wildfire throughout the town. Within minutes soldiers and military chariots descended on the small procession and fell in behind as the Pharaoh was driven to the palace.

When the chariot was pulled to a halt at the entryway to the palace, a massive welcoming party had assembled anxious to see if the reports of the Pharaoh's return were true. In the front were the senior military commanders, senior priests, and the Pharaoh's son Kawab, the next in line for the throne. Lee quickly dismounted and was followed by Pem and Yuia. As he walked up the steps all assembled bowed low.

"Arise," Lee ordered after a moment. "Yuia, relate what you have seen."

Yuia gulped, then moved forward to address the assembled group and cleared his throat. "Yes, My Pharaoh. This morning we had traveled to the tomb to prepare our great Pharaoh for his journey to the afterlife following his death while fighting to protect his people. As we entered the tomb to prepare his body we found him standing uninjured in the center of the preparation chamber. Initially he spoke only the language of the gods and we were unable to understand him. Pem arrived shortly after we did and spoke with the Pharaoh, then sent us out," Yuai related.

"About an hour later the Pharaoh and Pem emerged from the tomb and Pharaoh had regained his ability to speak the tongue of man. He ordered us to make ready for our return to the city and to seal his tomb until such time as he had completed his mission for Isis, and was called back to the afterlife. Pharaoh said Isis loves and cherishes the people of Egypt and ordered him to return to drive the infidels from our lands to ensure we prosper and flourish and may serve the gods well. Also after having made the initial journey to the other side, the Pharaoh's memory had begun to vanish, much like his ability to speak our tongue, as the mundane details of this world were no longer of value," the priest finished.

There was a sudden murmur as the assembled group conversed quickly amongst themselves. After a moment, Kawab stepped forward and bowed at the waist in front of Lee. He looked to be about 12 years old, with curly black hair, green-golden eyes, and all in all the spitting image of Lee. "Our greatest prayers have been answered Father, welcome home."

"Thank you Kawab, it is good to return," Lee responded and touched the boy gently on the shoulder. The boy smiled broadly and threw himself into Lee's arms. Lee returned the hug then looked down on the young boy's face and noticed tears streaming from his eyes. He knelt down and gently wiped the tears from his cheeks, then ruffled his hair and smiled. "It is good to see you have stepped up to guard the house and the kingdom. We will get together later and talk, okay."

Kawab nodded and beamed at his father's words of praise as he wiped the rest of the tears from his face. "I look forward to it, Father."

Lee turned and regarded the rest of those assembled. "I will now retire to my chambers to clean up and rest. I will meet with my generals tomorrow morning. We have much planning to do so that I may honor Isis' faith in me, and our ability to protect our people and lands."

Everyone bowed then moved to the side to permit the Pharaoh to pass. Lee closely scrutinized those around him trying to get a feel for how they actually perceived his return. The expressions he observed ran from fear, to awe, to suspicion; not unexpected given his grand and unprecedented return from the dead.

Entering the palace, Pem subtly guided Lee towards his chambers. As they proceeded down the main hallway, a beautiful young woman dashed towards them. She was tall and slender, with long, straight, black hair, green eyes, a delicate nose and mouth, and skin the color of caramel. She wore a linen tunic perfectly fitted to her figure and was adorned with gold bracelets and a choker of gold and precious stones. She pulled to an immediate stop and drew her hands up to her mouth, eyes wide with fear and disbelief. After a moment, she composed herself and bowed slightly to the Pharaoh.

"Sekhemkhet," she said in a barely audible whisper. "The rumor is true, you have returned. Thank the gods, you have returned." She then launched herself into Lee's arms drawing him tight as she dissolved into tears.

Lee wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Shhhh, everything is all right Djeseretnebti. I'm back."

"I thought never to see you again until I had passed over to join you. I have missed you so my husband, my beloved," she sobbed into his chest.

Pem stood there and rolled his eyes at the emotional spectacle occurring in front of him. Crane didn't have time for this stuff, he needed to be focused on why he was here. He moved close to the captain. "We have little time for this Pharaoh," he whispered in Lee's ear.

Lee glared at him as he tried to console the distraught woman in his arms. After a moment, he peeled her off and held her at arm's length. "I am in serious need of a bath and some rest my beloved wife. We can talk of this once that has occurred."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head no. "Please Sekhem, don't send me away. I have mourned your loss and now need to revel in your return. I will bathe you and show how much I have missed you."

Lee smiled and blushed somewhat at the offer, but as Pharaoh and husband it would probably not look good to those harboring doubts about his identity to forego such an ardent request from his wife. "As you wish beloved," he finally replied. "Later though, I have much I need to discuss with Pem to start my plans for our next attack on Nubia."

"As you wish my husband," she replied, a bit of a pout tugged at her lips, then she pushed up on her toes and kissed her husband lightly on the lips. "I shall see you later." She turned and headed back to her chambers, Lee assumed.

"Really?" Pem said, eyebrows raised high. "Honestly Captain you don't have time for all that."

"Oh come on Pem, she's distraught. If she accepts me as her husband, then there is one less thing to worry about when it comes to fostering believability in my identity. You didn't tell me what their relationship was like. Are they in love or is this a marriage of political convenience?" Lee responded. "I need to have some idea how to interact with her."

Pem sighed in disgust and rolled his eyes again. "Oh they were very much in love, if you must know. The Pharaoh was also quite close with his children."

"That would have been nice to know before we arrived," Lee replied. "That poor kid must be all torn up as well. Uh how many children does the Pharaoh have, by the way?"

"He has three; Kawab, who is the oldest and two daughters, identical twins Hentaneb and Hentmereb who are 10 years old. Your brother was unusual in that he only chose to have one wife and then only had children by her. He had no other consorts," Pem explained.

"Any other little surprises I should know about?" Lee asked testily.

Pem just shrugged as they continued down the corridor eventually arriving at two huge doors where two large guards stood on either side. Upon seeing the Pharaoh, they blanched slightly startled by his visage. They recovered quickly and bowed slightly then pulled open the doors for him to enter. Lee acknowledged them with a nod and he and Pem went inside.

(o1ooo

The Pharaoh's chamber was palatial to put it mildly. There was a huge antechamber that had a high ceiling and huge widows covered by linen and louvered blinds. Beautiful carpets covered the entire floor and ornamental tapestries adorned the walls. In the center of the room was a large pool with steps descending into it. Lee wondered if this was the bath or the Egyptian version of a hot tub. On all sides, there were numerous doors leading to rooms and hallways. At the opposite end of the room was a larger set of beautifully painted doors inset with gems and gold.

"I take it that's the master bedroom," Lee asked Pem. Pem nodded indicating his supposition was correct. "It's good to be the king," Lee remarked, drawing a snort from Pem.

After looking about the chamber, Pem clapped his hands and two female attendants emerged from one of the rooms on the right. As they regarded Lee, they both fell to their knees terrified that the Pharaoh's ghost had returned.

"Arise," Pem ordered. "The Pharaoh has returned home as a gift from Isis, he is hungry and thirsty. Bring food and drink."

Both girls jumped to their feet and fled the chamber to do as they were bidden. Pem motioned to the lounge chairs located near the pool and they walked over and took a seat. Minutes later the girls returned along with other servants bearing fruits, meats, pastries, and drinks for their master.

Once it had all been placed on the tables and drinks had been poured the senior servant approached. "Is there anything else you require, Highness?" she inquired.

"No this is sufficient, that will be all," Lee answered.

"Permission to speak, Sire?" she asked hesitantly.

"Granted," Lee responded.

"I will send my prayers to Isis for returning you to us. We had lost all hope when we heard you had been killed. Welcome home, My Pharaoh."

Lee smiled. It sounded like his brother was a well-liked man by those he ruled. "Thank you for your prayers and for your kind welcome. Now please depart, I have pressing business with Pem."

The woman smiled and bowed low, then turned and moved quietly out of the chamber with the rest of the serving staff in tow. Pem let loose yet another disgusted sigh as the parade of people continued.

"Hopefully the Welcome Wagon train has come to an end," Pem groused.

"What did you really expect, Pem? Coming back to life is a class act," Lee quipped. "Apparently, my brother's family and staff actually liked him and are more than thrilled to have him back."

"That's all well and good, but you have work to do if you ever want to return to your home."

"All right Pem, you've said the Pharaoh was _illegally_ killed in battle. If he died in battle, how could you tell that it wasn't just a byplay of the combat? You say he's on ice somewhere, show me his body and prove what you say is true," Lee challenged.

Pem narrowed his eyes and glared at Crane. Why the man wouldn't just take his word for it irked him no end. He finally came to a decision after considering the situation and knowing Crane's penchant for stubborness. "He was shot and killed by a high-powered rifle, Captain. As even you are most likely well aware, that technology is thousands of years in your peoples' future," Pem explained.

"Prove it!" Lee challenged yet again, ignoring Pem's dig. He was becoming increasingly agitated with his continued evasion. "Show me or this all ends now."

Pem sighed in disgust. He reached into his tunic, pulled out his watch and began manipulating the device. Once done he looked up at Crane and nearly spat, "Touch my arm, Captain."

Lee did as instructed, and was suddenly caught up in what felt like a runaway merry-go-round as the world spun rapidly around him. The furniture in the room began to lose focus and fade in color as it took on an appearance of being part of an impressionistic water color. A second later everything seemed to jerk to a halt as he and Pem were now standing in an industrial building, a warehouse with a low ceiling and one wall lined with huge walk-in freezers.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes as he tried to regain his sense of balance. Lee looked up towards the ceiling and noticed an intricate rail system where meat hooks dangled motionlessly above him. Individual spurs tiered off the main rail line and ran to each of the freezer units where the sides of meat had no doubt been processed, and packaged for sale. The building was ominously silent as there was no sign of recent activity. The scent of stale blood and rotting meat hung heavy in the air as the only remnants of the work done in the abandoned facility.

Without a word Pem turned and began walking towards the freezer unit located at the far end of the room. Lee quickly followed along. Arriving at the door, Lee spied a hefty padlock that was keeping safe whatever was inside. Pem fished through his pouch for a moment then withdrew a key, opened the lock, removed it, then pulled open the door. Before entering he flipped on the light switch on the outside of the freezer and walked in.

As they strode inside the immediate difference in temperature made them both shiver. They were dressed for life in the desert, not the arctic and the room was exceedingly uncomfortable. Pem continued forward until he reached the back corner of the freezer where a single large black bag lay on the floor. It was quite obviously a body bag, and Lee shivered reflexively again. Pem knelt down, unzipped the bag then pulled it open displaying the contents inside.

Lee gasped, unable to hold in his shock, despite knowing what was supposedly inside. There lying motionlessly in the bag was his exact double, his twin. Their faces were identical other than the blue tinge that colored the dead man's body. Lee had a fleeting feeling as though he had walked across his own grave. He honestly wished he was looking at the visage of Dr. Mason*, the rogue scientist who had assumed his identity and tried to destroy Seaview, instead of his long dead brother.

As Lee continued to stare, Pem reached into the bag and pulled it open further revealing a dime-sized hole in the center of the corpse's chest. He then gently rolled the body onto its side revealing an unmistakable exit wound from a high velocity projectile. Lee closed his eyes and shook his head realizing what Pem had said was true. He had too much experience personally with these types of wounds to doubt the source. There was nothing from any pharaoh's time that could account for the flesh rending damage the body sustained.

"Do you still doubt me, Captain?" Pem asked petulantly.

"About what killed him, no," Lee answered quietly. "Why use a rifle, Pem? These people no doubt have more advanced technologies that could have taken the Pharaoh out."

"It's an effective weapon that can be employed from a significant distance with great accuracy. The weapon is easily procured in your later history, and transported through time. Also the most anyone might have noticed in the chaos of battle was a clap of _thunder_ in the distance. They would never associate the sound with the collapse of the Pharaoh. Do you believe me now?" Pem replied.

"There are more holes in your story than a sieve, and you will never erase my doubt, but I'm ready to listen," Lee answered, quietly.

"Fair enough," Pem replied. "Now can we get out of here, I'm freezing?"

Lee nodded slowly. Pem immediately rolled the body onto its back and zipped the bag shut. He stood up and walked quickly out of the freezer as he fumbled for his watch. Once outside the unit, he secured the door, turned off the light and indicated Crane should touch his arm as he prepared to activate his watch. In no more than a heartbeat they were back in the sitting room appreciating the sudden rush of warmth.

"Now…are we ready to get down to work?" Pem asked testily.

Lee stood there motionless, still somewhat in a state of shock at what he had seen. He was trying desperately to process that he really had a twin brother, and that brother was now dead, and he was being asked to pick up the threads of that spent life and continue on in his stead. After a moment, he nodded his head slowly. "One question Pem. What keeps the 'others' from popping into this time and place and learning of all our plans? It doesn't seem like we can mount much of a defense against that. Why don't you pop over and let us know what they're doing?" Lee inquired.

Pem regarded Lee closely and then spoke. "We have ways of tracking each other's movements. Should one of them enter anywhere in close proximity, I would be immediately alerted and able to arrive there instantly. I'll not explain the mechanics but it can prove to be a very painful experience for the offending party. I will not let your preparations come to light by that route. Should spies of the time discover what's going on, that will be wholly up to you to resolve."

Lee stared at the smaller man with a fearsome intensity trying to decide if what he said was the truth. After a minute of close scrutiny, he conceded that that was as close to the truth as Pem would come and let the issue rest. "All right Pem, let's begin. Tell me about my military commanders, the size of my forces, weapons at my disposal, and the like. Also, tell me about my enemy," Lee inquired.

Pem quickly detailed what the Pharaoh had at his call in defending the kingdom, and the forces he would face when he took his troops to war. He described how his military was organized and who were his most trusted advisors amongst the generals. Lee listened intently, mentally categorizing the data he received and aligning it with what he already knew about the tactics and weapons used in this time.

As Pem finished several hours later, a door off to the side opened, Djeseretnebti entered and strode quickly over to Lee's side. Pem rolled his eyes garnering a chuckle from Crane. He smiled at Djeseretnebti and accepted her extended hand and kissed the back lightly, much to her delight.

"That will be all for now Pem, we will resume our discussion later. Inform my generals that I will meet with them for breakfast to discuss our response to the Nubian's last attack. Also, tell Kawab, along with the rest of the family to come to my chambers for the evening meal," Lee ordered. He smiled to himself as he could tell Pem was desperately trying to control his temper at being ordered about and relegated to a mere errand boy.

"As you wish, My Pharaoh," Pem ground out as he bowed slightly then turned and exited the chamber in a huff.

ooo1o)

* Man of Many Faces


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Unable to contain himself, Lee laughed out loud once the other man had exited and the door was shut. Djeseretnebti stared at him curiously. "What has amused you so?" she asked as she brushed a wayward curl from his forehead with her free hand.

Lee looked up at her and smiled. "It is a private joke between me and Pem," he explained and kissed her hand once more. As he made to rise, Djeseretnebti quickly pushed him back down then climbed on the chair and lowered herself onto him, her knees resting on either side of his hips. He was startled by her move and a bit embarrassed.

Djeseretnebti expression darkened immediately as she looked at her husband's face. "Have I displeased you in some way?"

Lee smiled and shook his head no. "I am just very tired and very much in need of a bath," he replied as he rested his hands on her thighs and rubbed them gently up and down.

She smiled then leaned forward and kissed him passionately. As she kissed him, her hands began to wander and roam over his body massaging him as she worked to stoke his passion to the same level as hers. Lee moaned in pleasure as she lavished attention upon him, licking and nipping at his ear lobes, lips and chest. As she moved lower to his waist, he reached down and gently took her hands and pulled them back up to his chest.

She looked at him curiously, surprised at his actions. "Have I done something wrong? Are you not feeling well?" she asked fearfully.

"No, not at all. I would just enjoy a bath first to wash off the desert. I smell very much like a goat," he quipped as he tried his best to control his body's response to her ministrations.

Djeseretnebti smiled and shook her head. "You could smell like a pig for all I care. I have missed you and thought you gone from my life forever in this world." She worked her way off the chair and extended her hand to Lee then pulled him gently to his feet. "I believe I promised you a bath earlier, and I will ensure that all of you is washed and pampered. Come my love, let me ease your mind."

Lee returned her smile and sighed in capitulation as she led him through the large doors to the bedroom. He was mentally torn about pursuing a physical relationship with someone he'd only just met, let alone his dead brother's wife, but needed her belief in him to make this work. He had to remember he was the Pharaoh and he was married. As they entered the bedroom he chuckled lightly to himself as he observed the beautiful woman ahead of him, and thought, _it's good to be the king._

(o1ooo

Their passion now spent, Djeseretnebti nestled her head on her husband's shoulder as she snuggled close. She lightly drew her finger over his chest and abdomen tracing the muscles and circling the scars of long healed wounds. After a moment, she looked up into his honey colored eyes. "You seem distant and distracted my love, is there something that bothers you?"

Lee kissed her lightly on top of her head. "I'm sorry my love. My mind is not fully in this realm at the moment as my thoughts linger in the afterlife. Although you have greatly helped me focus on the here and now," he replied with a chuckle. "There is so much I have yet to do to ensure that you, our children and Egypt are safe from the marauding tribes from Nubia. I dare not let down Isis or my people."

"I understand. As always you bear the weight of the world upon your shoulders. I wish there was some way I could help."

Lee pulled her close and kissed her. "You already have," he laughed and then sighed.

Djeseretnebti looked out the window and realized how late it had become. "Well my love the sun has nearly completed its trip across the sky. I will return to my chamber and make myself presentable for dinner. I look forward to sleeping soundly in your strong arms tonight," she said as she planted a kiss on Lee's lips and rolled out of bed. She quickly pulled on her light robe and exited the bedroom to return to her chambers.

Lee likewise got up from the bed, walked to the bathroom and eased his way back into the deep pool to clean up for dinner. As he emerged from the water, he was greeted by a female servant standing ready with a towel to dry him off. He was somewhat startled having not heard her enter. She bowed deeply, then moved quickly over to him and began the process of drying him off. Lee blushed uncomfortable with the attention and assistance the Pharaoh garnered in his daily life.

Now dried, the woman turned and walked back into the bedroom. Lee followed and found that his clothing had been laid out and the servant was now waiting to assist him in dressing. He stifled a sigh, much preferring to dress himself, but he needed to appear as though he was accustomed to such treatment. As she finished tying the sash around his waist, she bowed deeply and departed the room.

He walked to the window and gazed out over the city, wondering how the hell he was going to get through all of this without being called out as a fake. After a moment, he turned around and returned to the sitting room to find a low table positioned near the pool laid out with an amazing array of foods and drinks.

He also spotted Djeseretnebti, Kawab, his daughters, several other members of the royal family, and Pem awaiting his arrival. They all bowed as he entered. He strode forward to his wife and extended his hand which she gladly took. He quickly kissed it then moved to Kawab and pulled him into a tight hug, which was returned with great zeal. He next walked over to the twin girls and pulled them into a tight hug and bestowed kisses on their foreheads. He then greeted the other members of the group who enthusiastically welcomed him home.

Not quite sure of the protocol, Lee moved to the head of the table and took a seat on the large pillow positioned there. The others immediately followed suit, with Djeseretnebti and Kawab flanking him on either side, Pem next to Kawab and the remaining members filling in the other open spaces.

Lee's cup was immediately filled by a servant along with the rest around the table. Lee picked up his cup. "To my beloved family and friends, I thank Isis for giving me this chance to be back among you and to feel the welcome and love you have all shown me. May the gods continue to shower good fortune and favor on Egypt and on us all."

The toast was greeted with an exuberant 'hear, hear' and then the meal began as everyone chatted and ate, thrilled to have the master of the palace home again. Repeatedly Djeseretnebti would reach over and touch or stroke Lee's face, seemingly to make sure this was no dream. Lee proved equally attentive to her, to his eldest Kawab, and to his daughters who would run up and jump fearlessly into his arms.

Lee began to relish the life his brother had had, along with the love and affection of his family and people. He found himself struck with a pang of jealousy and regret at not having found the same, as he realized what he most likely had missed growing up. He quickly pushed those feelings down as he focused on his reason for being here and recalled his family and life back in California.

He did know regardless of whether Pem held to his word, he would do his damnedest to ensure these people were protected from the threat the Nubians posed to their continued wellbeing. He would draw on all his skills and education to see _his_ people prevailed.

ooo1o)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The following morning, Pem escorted Lee to the main dining hall for his meeting with his generals and military staff. As they stood at the entrance to the room unobserved, Pem quickly and quietly identified the senior members and their areas of expertise. Once he had finished they entered the room and all bowed down.

"Arise, gentlemen. As you were," Lee ordered as he entered the room and headed to his place at the table. "We have much to do. Be seated."

Lee regarded his military leaders closely as they exchanged glances between one another, himself, and Pem as they moved to the table. He saw more than a little doubt, distrust, and concern in their eyes and knew that would be difficult to overcome. Once seated, the morning meal was quickly brought in by the servants and then the doors were closed. "Eat, and then we shall get to our task."

The meal was consumed in silence as all seemed uncomfortable with the current situation. The tension in the room was palpable and Lee knew he would need to defuse that quickly if he was to have any chance of gaining their acceptance, trust, and willingness to engage the enemy once more.

With the meal over and the dishes cleared away, Pharaoh rose to address his generals. "I can see by your faces, you harbor concerns and reservations regarding my return to this world, and my ability to lead our forces. I assure you that I am fully in control of body and mind and resolute in my intention of running the Nubians from our land and restoring our honor. As before I will rely heavily on you to make this happen. We will not fail in this again, I assure you," Lee averred as he walked the room and made eye contact with every man there. He wanted no doubt as to who was in charge. "General Akhbar, what is the current status of our armies?"

"My Pharaoh, we took heavy casualties in our last battle with the Nubians. We are in desperate need of more trained men if we are to defend our position and even more if we choose to attack. I would estimate that it will take at least six months to restore our ranks to where they should be in numbers and skill to protect our borders," Akhbar explained.

Lee frowned at the information, not thrilled with the idea of remaining here in this time that long. "What of the Nubians? What of their strength and readiness for battle? How far are they from Memphis?" he asked.

"The Nubians suffered significant losses as well My Pharaoh. They have retreated to their initial camp as they resupply and bring additional troops forward. They are at least 30 days' march from here, but will have to get past several of our forts to reach us in that time," General Minnakht responded.

Lee smiled somewhat. "It's good to hear we gave as good as we got. I have never doubted the courage and skill of our forces. Their victory was allowed only through superior numbers. That we cannot let happen again."

"That may be difficult to obtain, Your Highness," General Setau offered up.

"How so, General Setau?" Lee asked.

"We will have to go out to the distant provinces to find the men necessary to fill the ranks to meet those numbers. There aren't enough able bodied men in the surrounding area to achieve that."

As Lee was about to respond there was a knock at the door and a messenger was admitted. He walked quickly to General Akhbar and whispered quietly into his ear and then handed him a piece of papyrus. Lee watched them intently and noticed the frown growing across Akhbar's face. Once finished with his message the soldier hastily departed.

"What news, Akhbar?" Lee inquired, asking the question everyone in the room had on his mind.

Akhbar looked up at Lee and passed him the paper. "Pharaoh, our men captured a messenger carrying this message from the Nubian ruler Kasmi to the Libyan ruler. Kasmi is informing them of their intention to attack us again and encourages them to join in the attack from the opposite direction to ensure our defeat, and then divvy up the spoils. If the Libyans agree, they will launch their assault in four months' time," Akhbar explained.

"It looks as though the gods have smiled upon us," Lee replied, much to the confusion of those in the room.

"How so?" Akhbar asked.

Lee raised the message and waved it briefly in the air. "We know when they are coming. We have prevented this message from getting through and are now aware of their treachery. We can substitute a messenger of our own to deliver a different message that will throw both the Nubians and Libyans off. We can now plan our response and take the element of surprise from them and make use of it ourselves," Lee expounded.

"That is all well and good Pharaoh, but will we be able to assemble sufficient forces in time to take advantage of this bit of luck? As Setau has explained we are lacking the men to stand up an army of sufficient numbers to take them on," Minnakht interjected.

"We will have to," Lee stated emphatically. "We have no other choice and I believe our goals are well within our grasp. We will dispatch runners to the outlying provinces and have them begin recruiting troops. We will also look to our slaves as yet another source of manpower."

Looks of shock appeared on the faces of those around the table. "Slaves? You want to place our security in the hands of slaves?" Akhbar stammered.

"Yes. They will fare no better than the rest of us should our troops be vanquished and our enemies overrun our lands. Both the Nubians and Libyans have a history of slaughtering the majority of those they defeat following battle and that includes both freemen and slaves. We will offer freedom as payment for military service making them focused and committed to our victory," Lee explained.

The men began to nod in agreement as they considered Pharaoh's words. This could quite possibly solve one of their long list of problems.

Lee smiled as he noticed the change in their expressions as the tinge of hope erased some of the doubt. "Now, we have much to do. Akhbar we need to scout the possible approaches the Nubians could take for their attack and develop a battle plan for each route. We also need to see if we can somehow _encourage_ them to take the path most beneficial to us. Minnakht see to it that orders are sent to the outlying provinces requiring them to raise armies and get them mobilized here so that we may begin training the new recruits. Setau communicate our offer of freedom for service to the slaves both here and in the provinces. Pentu you are responsible for logistics and Raia you are in charge of armaments."

"What of the Nubian messenger? Won't they be waiting for a response from the Libyans?" Pentu asked. "Don't you think they might suspect we have waylaid him?"

"Akhbar is he alive or dead?" Lee inquired.

"He is dead, Pharaoh. He tried to escape and was killed in the effort."

Lee nodded his understanding. "In two weeks' time, place the body somewhere along the route he was taking and make it appear as though he had an accident. We will place a message with the body supposedly from the Libyans pledging support to Kasmi that will effectively require us to divide our meager forces in half to protect each front. Should there be another runner sent to follow up, he will find the body and think their plans still secret. I don't want to tip our hand."

Akhbar smiled and nodded in agreement. "I shall see to it immediately, Majesty."

"Very well. You all have your assignments, now carry them out. We will meet again in three days' time so you may update me on your progress," Lee ordered. Having been dismissed, the men rose, bowed and set off to begin their tasks.

Once the generals had left the room Pem sidled up next to Lee. "Very impressive Captain. You seem to have them all eating out of your hand. Hopefully you are able to pull this whole thing off."

Lee scowled at him. "You doubt me, Pem? Why don't you pop forward and let me know how it all turns out?"

"This is a critical event Captain, and the future won't be set until it is resolved in this time," Pem informed him.

"I would have thought it resolved when Sekhemkhet was killed."

"Because the event was illegally manipulated, the outcome still remains in flux and I can't access the future past for it remains unwritten. Only because you are an identical copy of the late Pharaoh, is it possible to let things unfold as they should have in the first place," Pem explained.

"So you're only guessing that humanity is destined for extinction, you don't know for certain," Lee inquired. Pem regarded him silently, unwilling to confirm or deny his suspicion. As the silence stretched out, Lee snorted in laughter as his supposition was confirmed.

"The signs are there Captain, the forces poised and destruction looms. Failure to curb these people now allows them to grow all too powerful and they are fully prepared to wipe this planet out," Pem huffed.

Lee turned and walked out of the room. He spotted a guard and waved him over. "Get me a chariot and escort, I want to go see the city," he ordered.

"At once My Pharaoh ," he said bowing low, then quickly exited the hall to fulfil the Pharaoh's command.

Lee strode towards the front door anxious to be away from Pem and the rest of the palace crowd for a bit to think on all he had learned. He trusted Pem even less given their last exchange, but didn't doubt he was sweating the loss of the human race for some reason he'd never reveal. Regardless of that huge uncertainty, he had already decided to carry out this charade to protect his new-found family and people.

(o1ooo


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

In the next three days, Lee studied everything he could about his current time. He got out among his people, got a feel for their lives and what they valued most. He met with his priests, his administrators, and other high ranking members of the community. He didn't limit his interactions with the senior leaders and spent a fair amount of time getting to know his junior officers and even the infantry men. He found a sincere appreciation for his interest and desire to hear their concerns.

He also spent hours with his family and enjoyed playing husband and father. He found Djeseretnebti to be extremely intelligent and savvy to the politics and machinations within the palace walls. She had no trouble voicing her opinions and admonished her husband to terminate his association with Pem as she sensed his duplicitous nature. She was an incredibly forceful woman and he fell deeply in love with her in a surprisingly short amount of time. He had never subscribed to the whole _love at first sight_ thing, but suddenly found himself to be one of its victims. He felt as though they'd always been together, he was so relaxed and at ease in her company. He was finding it impossible to imagine life without her by his side.

He spent time with Kawab learning of his life and took him along when he went out visiting his armies and the people. He played with the girls and found them to be tomboys and quite athletic. No doubt due to their mother's influence, they had more interest in games of strategy and learning to fight than playing with dolls or other more sedate pursuits that daughters of the Pharaoh should pursue.

He knew that as soon as the battle was over this would end and he found himself already mourning the loss. Much to his surprise he found himself becoming torn between the life he was living now and the one waiting for him back in his time. He knew he would truly regret giving some of this up when his mission was complete.

As Lee explored and educated himself, Pem remained off to the side keeping track of the generals trying to divine whether they had bought into Crane's act or were just playing along until the appropriate moment to stage a coup. He knew they were distrustful of him and if he showed too much influence over the Pharaoh it could derail what he was trying to pull off. Thus far, all seemed to accept that Crane really was the Pharaoh but that could easily be a charade intended to get him to lower his guard.

For once, he had been truly honest with Crane, when he said he was blind to the outcome of the battle because it represented a critical juncture in this planet's history and development. Because he had removed a potential player from the game, the path forward had not been indelibly set. The assassination of the Pharaoh clearly proved that his actions earlier had not gone quite as unobserved as he thought, and the Others knew there were pieces yet to enter the game.

He also knew that the opposing travelers were not playing by the rules either as their illegal action was wholly intended to draw that one wild card out into the open and seal the path forward. Pem just prayed that the Monitors from the Time Guild had not caught on to their meddling in this time, as they all would face severe sanctions and repercussions from so egregiously violating the rules against tipping the balance by direct action.

ooo1o)

It had been three days since Lee had dispatched his generals and it was now time to learn how successful he had been in his role as Sekhemkhet. He steeled his resolve and strode confidently into the room where his military staff awaited. As he entered all turned and bowed. Lee smiled to himself, as the bows seemed lower than the first ones offered during their initial meeting. He systematically made eye contact with each man in the room and found the returning gazes less wary and more confident.

' _Could be good, could be bad_ ' Lee thought to himself as he made his way to the head of the table. ' _They've either decided I am their Pharaoh or they've resolved to take me out as an imposter.'_ "Be seated," Lee said as he claimed his position. His team quickly took their seats and focused on Lee.

"Well it has been three days, what news do you have for me?" Lee inquired. "General Akhbar, let's hear from you first."

Akhbar nodded and rose. "My Pharaoh, things have progressed well since we last met. Each of us will update you individually on our tasks but all is in motion to meet the Nubian threat well within their stated time of attack. I dispatched runners to survey the approaches to the city and have my strategists working now on designing appropriate plans for each. We have identified two preferable routes we would like to _encourage_ our adversary to select that will definitely give us an upper hand in battle. I have also dispatched men to observe the path taken by the Nubian messenger and as yet there have been no additional runners sent with more messages."

Lee smiled at Akhbar's report. It seemed that they had accepted him as the Pharaoh and were intent on mounting a defense. "Excellent Akhbar, that is good to hear. Let's hear from the others before we get your report on your selected routes." Akhbar nodded in agreement then turned his focus on Minnakht for his report.

"My Pharaoh, runners have been dispatched and have begun to return with positive reports from the surrounding provinces. The governors have agreed to field armies from their territories and have issued the orders accordingly. We informed them to have their troops ready for mobilization to Memphis within 30 days," Minnakht reported.

"Well done, General Minnakht. What say you General Setau? What has been the response to our offer?"

Setau stood and met Lee's gaze. "My Pharaoh, we have received unexpected support from the slave quarter. All have indicated a willingness to sign on and serve in exchange for their freedom. We should have no problem fielding a force of sufficient size to crush the Nubians when they attack. We find ourselves in a position of being able to select the cream of the crop instead of having to take what is available. We will field a most formidable army to meet the challenge."

Lee smiled again at the positive report. "Outstanding! General Pentu, are we prepared to support such a formidable force?"

Pentu smiled widely at Lee. "My Pharaoh, we shall be more than ready to support our troops here and then once we take to the field of battle. The gods have blessed us with bountiful harvests that will serve us well as we ready for war. Everyone contacted is willing and able to give their all, in support of your quest, Sire."

"Fantastic news Pentu. General Raia, will we be able to hurl more than harsh words at our enemy?" Lee inquired playfully as he reveled in the unqualified support from his generals.

"My Pharaoh, we will bury them under the weight of our spears and arrows. The tradesmen have been tasked to fashion weapons for our force and have promised that our troops will not want for sufficient arms."

"Superb, Raia. From what you've all reported we are well on our way to victory," Lee replied and was greeted with smiles and nods of agreement.

The meeting continued for another hour as each man gave an in-depth report on progress and plans. The few times Lee shot a glance towards Pem he had to stifle a laugh as the little man was quite obviously bored and not more than a little put out that he was not necessarily being included in the discussion.

Satisfied with their progress, Lee rose from the table. "Thank you for the excellent briefings, my Generals. I have every confidence in your preparations and our ultimate readiness for battle. I've detained you long enough, be about your important business."

The men rose and bowed then began to depart the hall. The lone exception was Akhbar who lagged behind. "Is there something else, Akhbar?" Lee inquired, sensing the man desperately wanted to speak with him in private.

"Yes My Pharaoh, if you can spare me a moment," Akhbar replied, and then cast a wary glance at Pem as he waited by the chamber door.

"Of course, Akhbar. That will be all for now Pem, I will get with you later," Lee said, dismissing the man from his presence.

Pem worked hard to hide the scowl at being sent away, but failed miserably. "As you wish My Pharaoh," he finally ground out and shut the door behind him.

(o1ooo

"We are alone, General. What's on your mind?" Lee asked cautiously.

"My Pharaoh, I merely wanted to convey what I have heard and witnessed both within our ranks and in the streets of the city," Akhbar began. Lee nodded that he should continue. "There is a great sense of hope and anticipation, My Lord, like none I've ever seen. The people feel that we have all been greatly blessed by the gods when they returned you from the dead to see us through this crisis."

"Thank you for conveying your observations Akhbar, but I don't really think that's what you wanted to talk to me about, is it?" Lee replied.

Akhbar regarded the Pharaoh closely surprised at his astute assessment of his reason for wanting to speak privately. He silently weighed the decision to voice his concerns and risk overstepping his bounds or to just continue along and harbor his doubts. Lee regarded him equally closely reading the war of emotions on his face and in his posture. Deciding to take the initiative, Lee spoke first.

"You have doubts and concerns about me, my return, and our plans to engage the Nubians, am I correct?" Akhbar nodded warily, feeling exposed at having failed to adequately veil his emotions. "Akhbar this will only work if we share faith in each other and can work together towards our common goal. Fear no reprisal on my part, please speak your mind," Lee ordered.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Akhbar began. "My Pharaoh, pardon my impertinence at questioning you and your plans. You must admit that your return has opened several doors to doubt and concern about you and your dedication to Egypt. There have been changes in your behavior and personality along with the questionable resumption of your association with Pem that has us worried about what lies ahead."

Lee looked at him for a moment then nodded. "I can see where you would have concerns. I will be honest with you, I lost much in the way of memory when I crossed over. My departure may have been short in terms of time here, but with the gods each hour seemed a lifetime, and my life here became like a pale dream only half remembered after awakening. I assure you though my devotion and dedication to Egypt, my family, and my people has not flagged, but instead grown stronger knowing how the gods favor me and this land. How has my behavior changed?"

Akhbar nodded, encouraged by the heartfelt response. "You were initially very reserved, very formal, as though you had no memory of me, of us, Sekhemkhet," he cautiously ventured, using Pharaoh's first name. "We have been friends since childhood, and I very much felt I was dealing with a stranger in a familiar body. But then suddenly you became more outgoing and curious than normal. You ventured into the streets and the countryside engaging with the peasants, my soldiers, the nobles, and the priests as though attempting to educate yourself about our land. Your personality has become more forceful, more certain in taking on the prospect of war. Your presence is even more commanding, and indecision and uncertainty have faded away. My fear is…was... that Pem had somehow gained undue influence over you and was working through you to destroy this land."

Lee smiled broadly. "You are most perceptive my friend; I was doing just that. I needed a feel for who I was and how I fit with my people and in this land. Again, this has only served to cement my resolve to protect it all from the Nubians. As far as Pem, you need not worry about him. He provides invaluable advice, but I am not fool enough to trust him blindly. He is too vested in his own ends and goals to allow too much input into my decisions, but the value of what he does offer is beyond those significant drawbacks. He will not betray us, and if I thought otherwise I would not hesitate to end my association with him… permanently," Lee replied honestly.

Akhbar gave Lee the first real smile he'd seen since he met the man. "You have put my mind at ease and I have no more concerns about moving forward with your plans, My Pharaoh," he replied, bowing his head in sincere regard and deference.

"Akhbar continue to ask questions, if I have made a mistake or not understood all the implications of a situation it is up to you to enlighten me. I wasn't kidding when I said I rely on you all to get us where we need to be. Now is there anything else that bothers you my old friend?" Lee asked, as he placed his hand on Akhbar's shoulder.

"No Sekhemkhet, you have extinguished any doubts I may have had. If you will excuse me, I have an important meeting with my strategists. Once we have reviewed all the information we have gathered, I would like for me and my staff to present our recommendations," Akhbar replied.

"Thank you Akhbar, for everything. When you're ready, let me know and I will make myself available to you to discuss your recommendations."

"Yes My Pharaoh," he answered, then bowed low and exited. As he left the chamber he spied Pem waiting nearby, no doubt concerned about what he had discussed with the Pharaoh. He shot him a dismissive sneer and hurried down the hall to return to his duties.

Having completed his discussion with Akhbar, Lee found himself suddenly awash in a wave of melancholy and homesickness, as Akhbar's concern so mirrored that shown by Chip. He had been so focused on learning who he needed to be, he momentarily forgot who he was and who he had left behind. He sighed deeply and fought to drive down his loneliness so he could carry out what needed to be done.

Turning his mind to the present, Lee strolled out casually as he contemplated the briefings he had received and his exchange with Akhbar. As he exited Pem hurried over to his side, his curiosity abundantly clear on his face.

"What did he want?" Pem whispered as he joined Crane.

"He just had some concerns and a couple of questions," Lee replied, nonchalantly.

"And…?"

"And it's none of your concern. Suffice it to say I'm not the only who doesn't trust you, Pem," Lee answered, and then quickened his pace as he headed back to his chambers leaving the smaller man sputtering in his wake.

ooo1o)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Preparations kicked into high gear as the military now felt confident in their leader and his abilities. Militias raised in the outlying provinces began filtering into the capital city and were quickly assigned camps and introduced to the rigorous training program established to ensure they were prepared to face the Nubians.

As Pharaoh, Lee made a point of visiting a different camp each day and participated in both the physical and battle training that occurred. Being aboard Seaview so much, he missed the ability to work out every day and relished the activity. He worked as hard as any of the recruits and also began teaching them tactics from the hand to hand combat learned in his training with the US Navy and ONI. They would be a force to be truly reckoned with.

The more he interacted with his troops and his subjects the greater their loyalty and devotion grew for their Pharaoh. His status was now equal that of the gods as he truly was their representative here on Earth. As his status grew so did their confidence that they would prevail in battle when the time came.

What was more important was that news of his resurrection had reached the Nubians. They began to feed news of his great deeds and communion with the gods to the opposing troops by means of their spies working as nomadic traders that passed through the Nubian camp. The Nubian spies likewise verified the information as they reported back to Kasmi and his generals further sowing the seeds of concern and uncertainty in facing a force led by a ruler anointed by the gods.

Also, as planned, they penned a false response to Kasmi's message to the Libyans, pledging support in a coordinated attack. They then placed it with the body of the dead Nubian runner and deposited him in the desert. As expected, the Nubians had sent another runner to find out what had happened to their first messenger. On his route, he encountered the body of the first runner at the bottom of a small ravine. It looked as though he had fallen and struck his head on a rock on the way down. The second man reluctantly checked out the dead man and found the sealed message from the Libyans beneath the body in his small satchel. He retrieved the message then beat a hasty return to Kasmi. Akhbar's spies observed the entire encounter and sent a runner back to Memphis to report their success.

Lee spent many hours with Akhbar and his strategists reviewing every bit of information they had about their enemy along with all the reconnaissance on the approaches to the city. Their favored approach would take the opposing army through a shallow canyon as opposed to the open desert. It was decided to increase the number of troops at Egyptian fortifications along the routes most likely preferred by the Nubians in hopes that they would attempt to hide their approach and skirt by them by going through the canyon. If the Nubians went for the bait, then those units stationed at the forts would move out once the Nubians had left their camp and come in behind them. They would stage troops hidden under camouflage along the canyon rims and then bring the remaining force in behind to close off any escape. Once the Nubians were fully into the canyon, their hidden troops would then rain down death from above.

To Lee, it seemed the three months of preparations and planning had passed in the wink of an eye. Their spies passing through the Nubian camp sent word that the Nubian forces were now on the move and beginning their march on Egypt. They also learned that the Nubians expected a smaller Egyptian force to engage them because of the threat from the Libyans to the west. They had no idea 20,000 strong would greet them once they arrived. The level of anxiety and anticipation began to grow as they awaited word on which route the Nubians had chosen. They felt that they would prevail regardless of their chosen route but hoped that the opposing forces had swallowed their bait and had selected the preferred passage.

They would mobilize in two weeks regardless the route taken to meet their foe on the field of battle. Final preparations were made as they readied themselves for the march across the desert to meet their destiny. Three days following the Nubian's departure a runner arrived in the city with an update. He was escorted immediately to the palace where Pharaoh and his generals were in conference firming up battle plans and providing updates on their readiness to depart.

As Pentu finished up his report on the state of logistics, the door to the chamber opened and the messenger was escorted in. He bowed low and walked immediately to General Akhbar to give him his report. Once he finished, a broad smile spread across the general's face. "Well done," he said the runner. "Go back to camp and take your rest. Say nothing to anyone." The young man nodded, then bowed and quickly left.

"What news Akhbar?" Lee inquired, anxious for the report after seeing Akhbar's reaction.

"The news is extremely good, My Pharaoh. The Nubians have chosen their approach and it takes them exactly where we wanted them to go. They are making their way to the canyon, no doubt hoping the walls will hide their approach," Akhbar reported as he smiled and slapped the table. "The gods favor us once again by guiding our enemy to their doom." Smiles took up residence on each man's face at the positive news.

"Have we confirmed that this is the Nubian's main force and not some expeditionary unit sent ahead to scout things out?" Lee asked.

"Yes, My Pharaoh. We have received reports from several sources that their camp is empty and they travel as a single unit," Akhbar confirmed.

"Excellent! Then I think it time to send word to our forces at the forts and have them start their move in two days' time. That should give them ample time to move into position, conceal themselves, and be rested for battle," Lee stated.

"Agreed," Akhbar replied. "I shall see to it personally once we have concluded our business here."

"This information is top secret," Lee ordered. "No one besides the runner and those of us in this room are privy to which route our enemy takes. This must not leak out or all our preparations will be for not. General Pentu, I want everything packed and ready to roll on a moment's notice, so those who may be watching grow weary waiting for us to leave. We depart in 14 days unless their pace quickens." Pentu nodded, acknowledging the order. "Very well, be about your duties, time draws short." They rose from the table, bowed then exited the chamber to carry out their orders.

(o1ooo

The 14th day had arrived and they would all be departing for war in a few short hours. Lee had found it impossible to sleep as his mind was whirling frantically between the upcoming battle and those he would be leaving behind forever once this was over. He sighed deeply and felt Djeseretnebti snuggle closer. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and pulled her close, waking her.

"What's wrong my love, you seem restless. I don't think you have slept a wink all night."

"Shhh, go back to sleep, I'm sorry I woke you," Lee said then kissed her forehead.

"You're leaving, soon aren't you?" she asked fearfully.

"Yes," he replied quietly. "We will be leaving once the sun rises."

Djeseretnebti suddenly sat up and stared down at her husband in horror. Tears began to flow down her cheeks at the thought of him leaving her again. "Please, my husband, can't you remain behind? Aren't your armies able to fight without you?" she whimpered, already knowing the answer.

"No my love, I must go. The gods returned me to lead my men into battle to ensure all that I hold dear remains safe. I am their Pharaoh, I must take lead if we are to be victorious," Lee replied softly as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She lay back down and buried her face in his chest, sobbing quietly. Lee gently rubbed her back then enveloped her in his arms holding her tight. After a moment, she turned her head to rest on his shoulder. "I fear that I will lose you once more. I don't think I could survive such a loss again."

"I will do my best to return to you, I promise," Lee lied. He knew one way or the other he would not be coming back in this time. "And if perhaps the gods call me back, we will be rejoined again in the afterlife. They have promised me as much."

"I would rather have you back now, my love. I need you more than you can imagine. Our children need you as will our new baby when he arrives," she said quietly.

Lee froze, not certain if he had heard what he thought he heard. His stomach clenched and his heart skipped a beat at the news. "Baby? You're pregnant?" he asked, barely able to get the words out.

"Yes my husband, the gods have seen to it that we will be blessed one more time. I thought myself barren after the birth of our girls, but life grows within me once again. Does this news please you?" she asked, looking at the curious expression on Lee's face.

Lee laughed and shook off his shock. "Yes of course, my love. I can think of no better gift or reason to return home to you than to partake in the beauty of my wife as she carries our child. You have made me very happy." Lee then kissed her ardently and held her close.

They made passionate love as though it would be the last time. Lee felt as if his heart had shattered as he realized this would be the last time he would see her and he would never see the child they had conceived. He had quickly grown to love Djeseretnebti and her children and the thought of leaving them behind nearly brought him to tears.

Their passion spent, she snuggled close resting her head on his chest and pulled his hand over to rest on her belly. She quickly fell asleep, but not so Lee. He continued to stroke her hair and gently rub her belly as he thought of what might have been. He sighed deeply, then whispered quietly in her ear. "I will love you always."

ooo1o)

With the coming of daylight, the palace became a flurry of activity as the order to depart had been given and all prepared to see off the Pharaoh and his army. Lee had been up at dawn and was now clad in his battle armor. He left his chamber, Djeseretnebti still asleep in their bed, and made his way down to the nursery. He stopped first in Kawab's chamber and gently woke him. He informed him that he was leaving and that until such time that he returned he was ruler of the house. The boy began crying immediately, almost inconsolable at the impending departure of his father.

"Hey Kawab," Lee chided gently. "You are the man of the house until my return. You must show your strength to those around you to let them know the palace and the city will be well protected under your watchful eye. Also, your mother is going to have a baby and you must be brave and strong so that she doesn't worry. Can you do that for me, son?"

Kawab sniffed deeply working hard to control his tears. He wiped his eyes and nodded. "Yes, Father I can do that for you. You will be coming back, won't you?" he asked quietly.

Lee drew him into a tight hug, which was readily returned and kissed him on the top of the head. "Yes son, I will do all in my power to return. Knowing you are here to take care of things allows me to concentrate on what's ahead instead of worrying about what I have left behind. I have all the confidence in the world in your ability to watch over our family," Lee replied earnestly, knowing full well he could never fulfil that promise. "Now get up and get ready so that you may send us off to victory." The young boy nodded, climbed out of bed and headed to his closet to pick out his best clothes for the event.

Lee made a similar announcement to the girls and they likewise dissolved into tears. He again promised he'd return then he enlisted their aid in taking care of their mother as she prepared for the birth of the newest member to their family. He hugged them tightly, kissed them on the forehead and then had them get up as well to see him off.

He fought hard to contain his own tears at his impending loss of this family he had come to love as his own. He truly wanted to stay, especially to experience the birth of his first child, but given what was ahead he knew it to be impossible. Upon his return to his chamber, Djeseretnebti was only now waking up. He crawled back in bed with her and held her close until it was time to meet his generals and depart.

Two hours later, Lee kissed his family goodbye for the last time and strode determinedly down the steps of the palace to his waiting chariot and war.

(o1ooo


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

They had followed a measured and relatively relaxed pace traveling to the battle site. The Nubian forces had been constantly monitored during their march and had remained on track. It had taken 12 days to arrive and now it was time for all to relax, rest, and recoup for the impending battle.

The soldiers focused on sharpening their spears, practicing their hand to hand combat, and talking of how badly they were going to destroy the Nubians. The generals and the Pharaoh refined their attack plans to mesh better with the surrounding landscape, reviewed messages regarding the status of the approaching forces, and circulated through the various groups of troops ensuring that all were well aware of their roles and responsibilities once the battle was upon them.

Surveillance had spotted the Nubians a few hours' march from their location and all were placed on alert. The following morning would tell if all their preparation and planning had been sufficient. The night air was still as the men on both sides of the lines contemplated what was going to happen the next day. Only low voices could be occasionally heard as the men shared their hopes and fears about the coming battle.

Lee made a point of walking throughout their entire encampment, exhorting the men to greatness and assuring that should they fall, a hero's welcome awaited them on the other side. Akhbar had accompanied him on his walk about and was amazed and heartened at how appreciative the men were as their Pharaoh wished them well.

Now done with his walk, Lee headed back towards the tents in officer's country. As he reached his tent he asked Akhbar to join him for a nightcap and some conversation. Once inside, Lee poured them each a cup of beer and handed one to Akhbar.

"Please have a seat Akhabr," Lee started, as he took a sip from cup.

"Thank you, My Pharaoh," responded Akhbar and claimed a pillow on the tent floor. "Is something wrong? You seem pensive."

"Only the uncertainties that rustle inside you before heading into battle," Lee responded with a chuckle. "Akhbar, my friend, I have a very important favor to ask of you."

"Anything if it is within my power, Sekhemkhet. What would you have of me?"

"Should I fall in battle, or be called home by the gods, I would ask that you ensure Djeseretnebti and the children are protected and well cared for. I don't doubt that we will prevail in this battle, we have planned and prepared too well, but there is also that specter of losing one's life in such a struggle. Can you do this for me?" Lee asked solemnly.

"You need not have asked for I will always protect the house of Pharaoh. I will treat them as my own and ensure no ill befalls them," Akhbar replied with equal solemnity having risen to meet his Pharaoh and best friend. "On this I pledge my honor and soul." He extended his arm and Lee quickly grasped his forearm then drew him in for a quick hug.

"Thank you, Akhbar. You have put my mind at ease. You should know, Djeseretnebti is with child and I am to be a father…again," Lee informed his friend with a broad smile.

Akhbar returned his smile and drew his friend into another brief hug. "Congratulations Sekhemkhet. That is glorious news for you and the kingdom. Our victory celebration shall have yet another reason for joy." He turned and retrieved the flask and poured them each another drink. "Let's toast our victory and the new addition to the kingdom."

Lee smiled and raised his cup accepting the toast. They chatted aimlessly for another hour, avoiding the topic of battle as that would consume them in the morning. Having finished their drinks, Akhbar excused himself and returned to his tent to make his own preparations for the big day.

ooo1o)

As Lee readied himself for bed he was startled to hear a voice behind him. "I thought he would never leave," Pem huffed, having appeared in the tent.

"Where have you been, Pem? You've been conspicuously absent of late," Lee remarked as he glared at him.

"I do have other concerns, Captain. You have things well in hand and had no need for my assistance. It's quite obvious you and your men are ready for tomorrow's conflict."

"We are. So, what is it you want, Pem?" Lee inquired

"We need to make preparations for your departure, Captain. Once the battle is won, I will return you to your boat and you may go on your merry way," Pem answered. "I assume that's what you still want, isn't it?" he added with a smirk realizing how much at home Crane had made himself.

Lee narrowed his eyes and nearly growled at the smaller man, who immediately shrank back from the obvious show of aggression. He was torn between his two lives more than he ever expected and had no patience for Pem's nasty innuendo after having been forced into this situation. On one hand, he missed the life he had back in his time. He missed Harri, and Chip, and even Jamie along with his boat and crew and all he held dear. But this new life had equally appealing aspects and he had found a peace and joy that was missing in his other world. He liked being a husband and father, and it was definitely good to the king. What he wanted most was to see the birth of his child and watch him or her grow up, and to grow old with Djeseretnebti, but knew that was not his fate.

After a moment, he replied. "Yes Pem, that's where I belong and where I want to be," he said in a low and deadly tone.

"As you wish Captain," Pem acknowledged. "After the battle is won, I will make it appear as though you are struck down by a bolt of lightning as the gods bring you back to the afterlife having completed your mission. I will transport you back to your boat and place your brother's body where you stood."

Lee nodded his understanding. "When will all this occur?"

"The following day after your victory. You will address your troops and then as you finish your speech, you shall be called home. Very dramatic don't you think?" Pem replied with a smile.

"Yes, very." Lee replied flatly, not at all thrilled with Pem's posturing.

"Honestly Captain, you could sound a little more excited at the prospect of going home. The grand exit will inspire your troops, and people, and ensure the safety of your royal house. After all, who would risk the god's ire by overthrowing the family of the Pharaoh who had brought such glory to the kingdom?" Pem interjected.

"Whatever Pem. I just want this over and done with and to be on my way home," Lee answered wearily. "Now if you will excuse me I need to get some rest. I've got a busy day tomorrow, if by chance you've forgotten." Pem nodded and disappeared.

(o1ooo


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The day began hours before sunrise as the camp stirred to life in preparation for the impending battle. The cooks had prepared a special meal to ensure that the troops had a full belly on which to wage their war. Scouts on both sides had been sent forth to determine what the other side was doing and report back so the final preparations could be made.

Lee and his generals met briefly reaffirming their battle plans and verifying their special surprise staged on either side of the shallow canyon was in place and as yet undiscovered. Tension radiated from all directions and the world grew silent as though drawing in a huge breath before all hell broke loose.

As the troops began to form up in their ranks, the drums and the sound of marching feet echoed against the canyon walls. The Egyptian troops stood firm showing no signs of weakness or overanxious zeal that could spell disaster. The Nubians mounted a false charge trying to get their adversary to break ranks but the troops held firm. They needed the Nubians to have the bulk of their forces in the canyon to reap the greatest gain from their surprise.

Satisfied that the Egyptians couldn't be provoked, the Nubians began their advance in earnest. Marching in step, banging their drums and yelling taunts and epithets at their foe trying to instill fear and chaos. Again, the troops held firm.

The Pharaoh and his generals remained back scanning the way before them and the sky above looking for the signal that their enemy was now truly trapped. As the Nubians advanced, a whiff of smoke rose from the ridge above, signaling that the time was now.

Lee looked quickly at each of his generals and gave them a smile. "The time is now gentlemen. May the gods favor us and help us drive the Nubians into the ground. General Akhbar, sound the attack."

Akhbar nodded. "Yes, My Pharaoh. Corporal, sound the attack."

Instantly a shrill horn sounded followed by another and another as the signal to attack was passed through the ranks and to the units hidden on the bracketing ridges above. The troops immediately jumped up and out from under their camouflaged positions and moved to the rim. Once in position, another shrill blast from the horn set loose flight upon flight of arrows down into the surprised ranks below.

The Nubian troops began to drop like flies as the arrows struck their targets. Fear and panic ran rampant in the enemy ranks as their comrades were felled left and right. In the ensuing chaos, another signal was sounded and the Egyptian phalanxes started their advance on their flustered enemy. One more tone and then they charged like a runaway juggernaut fragmenting the enemy forces like the bow of great ship cutting through an ocean wave, decimating the men in their wake.

Realizing that they were about to be slaughtered by a force near double of what they expected, the Nubians sounded their retreat and turned tail bolting back the direction they had just come only to be met by the rest of the Egyptian forces who had been mobilized from the outlying forts to block off their retreat. Now cornered with no hope of escape the battle deteriorated into frantic hand to hand combat.

Some of the enemy fighters broke through the line and were fleeing towards the Pharaoh's position. Spying the troops, Akhbar rushed forward to engage them followed closely by the other generals and Lee. They all took on an enemy soldier and traded bone shattering blows with their heavy clubs. Akhbar took a vicious hit and went down. As the Nubian advanced to finish off his downed opponent, Lee came flying in from the side tackling the man and derailing his attack. They both regained their feet and their weapons and traded blows until Lee found his opening and ended their exchange. As he regarded his vanquished foe he was joined by Pentu who gasped in recognition at the downed man.

"What Pentu?" Lee asked as he regained his breath.

"That is Kasmi, leader of the Nubians. You have killed their prince." Pentu reported in awe.

Lee nodded acknowledging the significance of his action, then turned and sprinted to Akhbar's side and pulled him off the field of battle. Once certain he was safe, Lee resumed his position on the battlefield taking on enemy soldiers in his path.

Within minutes the Nubian force was routed and what few survivors remained ran like scalded dogs back from whence they came. As the troops stood on the field looking for someone else to take on, a horn sounded signaling a halt to hostilities. A mighty cheer rose up as they realized the battle and the day belonged to them.

Lee returned to Akhbar's side to check on his friend. He had suffered some broken ribs and a broken arm but would survive. As Lee approached the man became furious. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have been killed!" he railed at his friend.

"I thought I was saving the life of a valued general and a good friend, that's what I thought I was doing!" Lee fired back and then smiled.

Akhbar flushed in embarrassment as he realized what he had just said and to whom. "My sincere apologies, My Pharaoh. Thank you for saving this worthless life."

"There's nothing to forgive, Akhbar. You would have done the same for me," Lee replied as he knelt down and patted him on the shoulder.

"But that is my duty, not yours. I do wish you would be more careful," he added then winced in pain. Lee laughed and again realized how much this man reminded him of Chip and how he had really missed him, missed them all actually. How was it he was so lucky in earning such friends, he wondered.

Lee stood up, scanned the area and spotted a medic. He waved him over to tend to his injured friend. "Take care of the general, and don't let him give you any crap," Lee ordered then winked at Akhbar. "Relax for a moment my friend, you've earned it. I'll be back once I've touched base with our victorious troops."

Akhbar made eye contact with his aide and indicated he should accompany the Pharaoh so that there were no surprises. Lee took the rest of the day chatting with his troops, encouraging the wounded, and paying homage to the dead. Luckily for them the lion's share of casualties had been suffered by the enemy forces. Their preparations had truly paid off as Lee heard one of his troops boast that their victory had taken less time than a hungry man takes to eat his lunch. The Nubians had been caught totally off guard and paid the price. There would be no response anytime in the near future.

ooo1o)

Having completed his rounds, Lee wearily headed back to his tent and collapsed onto his bed, too tired to even contemplate food. As he laid there trying to blot out the cries of pain and anguish from the injured, he suddenly became aware of someone else in his tent. He slowly grasped his knife then pried open an eye to find Pem standing off to the side beaming with joy at the outcome of the battle.

"Well done, Captain. Well done indeed. You have succeeded beyond my greatest expectations and have sent the Others scurrying for safety in the light of your victory," Pem enthused.

"I'm _so_ pleased you approve, Pem," Lee replied sarcastically. "Thousands of men just lost their lives and you couldn't be happier. So, am I done now?"

"Yes Captain, you have held up your side of the bargain and history has now been indelibly written. Following tomorrow's speech, I will honor my side of the bargain and send you home," Pem replied.

"Before I go Pem, I have questions I want answers to, honest answers. I have played your pawn, so you owe me at least that," Lee said.

"What questions?" Pem inquired cautiously.

"I want to know about my family…I mean my brother's family. Do they survive? What is their history? What of my child?" Lee asked earnestly.

Pem regarded him for a moment, tempted to blow him off and reveal nothing, but the look of pain in his eyes, for what he was giving up was too powerful to overcome. The man had fallen and fallen hard for the family he had been forced to take over out of necessity. Not normally one to entertain requests from anyone he used, Pem couldn't ignore the man's request.

"You will be happy to learn that you have provided for them well, Captain. Your overwhelming victory stays the hand of any usurpers who would lay claim to a throne occupied by a child of such a powerful and popular Pharaoh. Kawab will rule until he is 21 when he is killed in a fall from a horse, breaking his neck," Pem started. Reading the anger in Crane's eyes, he continued quickly. "It is truly an accident and not some plot to take the throne. The twin girls grow to adulthood, marry into the families of the most powerful nobles, have many children, and live long and happy lives."

Lee nodded and gave Pem a wan smile. "What of Djeseretnebti? What of our child?" Lee inquired fearfully.

"General Akhbar proves true to his promise to protect the house of Pharaoh and brings Djeseretnebti into his house following Kawab's death when the throne was taken by another line. They in time marry and live out the rest of their lives together. As for your son Banefre, Akhbar raises him as his own. He grows to adulthood and becomes one of Egypt's greatest generals winning many battles and wars for his Pharaoh. Your line continues today and you will be pleased to learn that your granddaughter, many generations removed, was known as Nefertiti," Pem concluded.

Lee looked at him incredulously. "Nefertiti? Really or are you just jacking me around?"

"I am being honest with you, Captain. I owe you at least that much truth. There were other children that continue on throughout human time, but I have neither the patience nor desire to research beyond what I have given you," Pem answered. "If you're all that interested you can research the genealogy yourself."

"Pem...what if...what if I wanted to stay?" Lee asked hesitantly.

Pem stared at Crane in amazement. Shocked that the stalwart captain would ever consider giving up his boat and his friends, daresay family, back in his time to remain here just for the sake of love. He shook his head no. "That's not possible, Captain," he replied quietly. "Despite having been born of this time you are not part of it. It might have been different if you had come from the past, but your life lies in the future and that much foreknowledge is not allowed to remain any longer than you already have. The introduction of even the most seemingly innocuous technology could have significant and disastrous results in the future. Even as time travelers, we aren't allowed to reside more than a few days in any specific time to limit the chance of inadvertent contamination of the time stream."

"Also you have become a focal point within your own time, Captain. A departure from your life in the 21st century ahead of your designated time would have significant impacts on those around you, and that in turn would radiate out causing undesirable ripples in time. I'm not a liberty to tell you anything about your future life, but take some satisfaction in knowing that yours matters very much in the grand scheme of things," Pem explained.

Lee stared at the little man in silence as he considered what he had said. He didn't doubt that what he had told him was the whole truth for the first time in their acquaintance. "Thank you, Pem," Lee responded after a moment, as the last of his energy drained away. "So what of tomorrow? What do you need of me to pull this off?"

"As we discussed, you will draw your troops around and make a speech thanking them for their efforts and whatever else you think appropriate. You need only offer your prayers to Isis and Anubis and that will be my cue to discharge a _bolt of lightning_ directly where you are standing. When the sound and light dissipates, the body of your brother will be lying where you stood. At that instant I will also transport you back to your time and place," Pem replied. "Any questions?"

Lee shook his head no. "I'm tired Pem, go away," he said and dropped off into a dreamless sleep.

(o1ooo


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Lee was instantly awake as an odd shimmy and vibration thundered over Seaview's hull and the klaxons blared their warning to the crew inside. He grabbed unerringly for the mic and clicked the button. "Control Room, this is Crane report!"

Not more than a second elapsed before he got his answer. "Morton here, sir. As you can tell, we seem to be caught up in something's wake, although there's nothing on the scopes. All systems are operational and no damage has been reported," Lee's XO and best friend Chip Morton reported.

"Any idea whose wake we're surfing, Mr. Morton?"

"Negative sir. We're conducting extensive scans right now, but as I said all scopes are clear," Chip replied.

"Keep scanning and increase the range. I'll be there as soon as I'm dressed," Lee responded, then shipped the mic and climbed out of bed. He was immediately brought up short by a pain in his chest and side as though he'd met up with a bulkhead following one of Seaview's tantrums. He couldn't recall banging into anything and quickly chalked it up to old age.

He moved rapidly to his locker, pulled out a fresh shirt and pair of trousers and flipped on the light as he moved to his desk to get dressed. As he pulled on the shirt he noticed that it felt tighter than usual over his biceps and had to work to get the buttons closed across his chest. He assumed the laundry had returned the wrong uniform and figured it was probably O'Brien's or Chip was on one of his practical joke tears and had chosen him as his current victim. He next pulled on his trousers and found a similar tightness around his thighs, but the waist was much too big. He threaded his belt through the loops and had to cinch it to the last hole to keep the pants from slipping down.

He finished pulling on his socks and shoes with little problem all the while recalling what he knew about the area where they were currently holding station. Seaview was sitting in 200 feet of water in the Mediterranean Sea, fifty miles off the coast of Egypt. They shouldn't have encountered any such wakes at that depth and location. They had just completed a mission returning a mummy to a Middle Eastern Sultanate in hopes of preventing a war, and in typical Seaview fashion had to deal with an animate mummy apparently not thrilled with that idea*. Nelson ended up having to deliver the mummy using FS-1 thanks to Lee's unwilling extracurricular activities, and they were now currently awaiting their orders to return home. Now finished tying his shoes, he ran his fingers quickly through his hair and bolted out of his cabin for the Control Room.

He rapidly descended the spiral staircase into the Control Room and spotted, Nelson, Morton and O'Brien in conference at the chart table. He quickly made his way over to join the group. "Report Mr. Morton," Lee ordered.

Without looking up Chip began his report. "As I reported earlier Skipper…" he started then faltered to a halt, his mouth agape as he took in the surprising appearance of his captain.

Lee stared at Chip curiously and was about to speak until he noticed Nelson and O'Brien staring at him with similar expressions. After a moment Lee replied. "And…?" Registering the other men's continued stares, he quickly looked down examining his uniform for any problems like an open fly and finding none he returned his gaze to them. "What? What's wrong?! What are you all staring at?" he asked with no small measure of aggravation.

"Lee?" Harri started. "What…what happened to you? How…? Are you in disguise?"

Lee scowled at them for a moment as he tried to figure out what Harri was talking about. "What are you talking about? Nothing has happened to me; I just came down from my cabin to get a status report on that shimmy that rattled the boat."

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" Chip asked cautiously.

"Not since I went to bed a couple of hours ago. Why, what's wrong?" he asked as he raised his hand to his face and for the first time felt the full beard covering his cheeks. He then knew instantly what was wrong. He moved his hands to his head and found nearly shoulder length hair. He looked at his hands and found them calloused and a deep brown from months spent training in the desert sun with his troops. He looked down his body and understood why his uniform felt so tight, it was due to the increased size in his pectorals, biceps, and thighs, all products of his intensive physical training.

"My god, it was all real," he said barely above a whisper. He immediately felt faint and swayed slightly as it all hit home.

Instantly concerned, Harri stepped forward and grabbed Lee's arm to steady him. "What was all real? What the hell are you talking about?" Harri asked. "Does this have something to do with the vibration we've experienced?"

Lee looked around the bridge and quickly relished being back home where he belonged. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes making sure this wasn't all a dream. After a moment, he looked back at Harri and replied. "In all likelihood it does, sir."

"Well what is it Lee?" Harri prodded.

"Uh…Admiral, I think we should chat, in private. Could we adjourn to the nose?" Lee asked quietly.

Nelson and Morton exchanged puzzled looks and shrugged. "Of course, Lee," Harri answered. "Chip, come along."

"Aye, sir," Chip acknowledged and turned the con over to O'Brien then followed Nelson and Crane into the nose. He hit the button closing the crash doors after he entered to give them an additional measure of privacy.

ooo1o)

As they stepped into the nose, Lee walked immediately to the credenza and poured them all a cup of coffee. He distributed the cups and then gingerly sat down at the table, a move not missed by the other two men. He took a deep drink from his cup to steady his nerves then let out a pent up sigh.

"Okay Lee, care to tell us how in the last two hours you've managed to heal a deep bruise on your cheek, grow a full beard, extend the length of your hair, and look like a bronzed Adonis?" Harri asked. "I sincerely hope you have a good explanation."

Lee exchanged quick looks with each man, thrilled to be in their company once again, and took another drink from his cup. "Oh I do Admiral, and I can say it all with one word," Lee replied.

"And what word would that be Lee?" Chip asked as he sat forward in his chair, anxious for the answer.

"Pem."

Harri's and Chip's faces instantly paled and Chip blew out a low whistle. "Yeah, I guess that pretty much does say it all," Chip responded.

"I think the trim problem was probably him activating his device when he grabbed me and then returned me, since they most likely occurred within seconds of each other," Lee posited.

"That makes sense," Harri replied. "Where did he take you, son?"

"Given it's Pem, the more correct question is both where and when did he take me, sir," Lee started. "Where was Egypt, when was circa 2643 B.C.," Lee answered.

Both men sat up instantly and stared at their friend, surprised at his answer. "Why you, and why then?" Harri inquired.

Lee proceeded to relate his tale from the instant he woke up in the tomb, his journey to Memphis, and his assumption of the dead Pharaoh's life. A man who, according to Pem, was his identical twin brother. He relayed Pem's story of kidnapping him at birth and hiding him in time to protect his life from some alien entity bent on obliterating the human race. He told of his charge to ready an army and defeat the advancing Nubian forces to forestall the entity's extermination of the human race at some point in the distant future. He described seeing his dead brother in a walk-in freezer somewhere in time, and having to convince everyone the man knew, that he was the now dead Pharaoh. He detailed their battle against the Nubians, their victory, and then being whisked away in a celestial light show that made it seem he'd been struck down by Isis and called back to the afterlife.

Shell shocked seemed the most descriptive term for Chip's and Harri's reaction after hearing Lee's story. Both sat there in silence, mouths agape for some time, not quite sure to believe all he had said. Yet the physical evidence before them indicated Lee had been off the boat for a considerable amount of time, given his current physical appearance.

"How long were you there?" Harri asked as he reached forward and touched Lee's hair giving it a quick tug ensuring it wasn't a wig.

Lee smiled at Harri's inquisitiveness. "The best I can figure is over four months give or take a millenia. It took at least that long to raise, train, and outfit an army of over 20,000 men, then march out to the desert and engage in war with the enemy." Lee answered.

"So Pem kidnapped you right after birth and buried you in time, so that if he needed you to stand in for your twin brother you'd still be alive?" Chip asked incredulously.

"That's what he said, and for some reason I don't doubt him about that. In the light of day, it doesn't sound plausible, but it all happened just as I described. There's no way I could make this up, I'm not that imaginative. I had never heard of Sekhemkhet or Djeseretnebti before he shanghaied me," he explained. "I suppose now I have some research to do to see what history says about them."

"That we all do, lad," Harri agreed.

"So this guy, this pharaoh really did look like you?" Chip asked.

"Yeah he did. It was really creepy looking down into that body bag and seeing my likeness inside. It was about as bad as our run-in with Mason when he kept assuming our likenesses," Lee replied, then winced as he reached for the coffee pot now sitting on the table.

"Why are you moving so carefully, Lee?" Harri asked and had to smile when Lee grimaced at having not hidden an apparent injury well enough.

"It's nothing sir, I'm fine. During the battle my general, Akhbar was attacked and knocked down. I came to his aid and his attacker and I exchanged a few blows before I ended things," Lee answered. "I have a few bruised ribs and some scratches, that's all."

"I just bet you do. Well given all you've told us, you know what's coming next don't you, son?" Harri said, a slight smile twitching his lips.

"Please don't say it's Jamieson and Sick Bay," Lee whined in response.

"You're so smart, you got it in one," Harri answered with a chuckle. "Come on Pharaoh, the faster you get down there the faster you're out."

Lee glowered at both men as he pushed slowly up from his seat careful not to stress his ribs. Harri and Chip laughed at his predictable response and rose as well to escort him down to the doctor's clutches. He shot them a quick glare as he started up the stairs. "If I were still Pharaoh I wouldn't have to do this," Lee groused.

"Well here you're just a lowly sub captain so get a move on, Mister," Harri chided gently, eliciting another chuckle from Chip.

"So do you suppose our friend the mummy recognized you in the museum as the guy who defeated his troops and was trying to even the score?" Chip asked as they walked down the passageway. "Or maybe it was your twin, ticked off you were keeping company with his wife?"

Lee turned and glared at Chip not at all happy with his remark. Chip backed up immediately at the look on Lee's face. "Sorry Lee, that was out of line." Lee nodded and resumed his walk down to Sick Bay.

"Could be any of those you encountered during your reign," Nelson interjected trying to defuse the situation. Chip had quite obviously hit a touchy point with Lee. "We've encountered some pretty strange things in our travels on this boat, and given your recent trip it makes as much sense as anything else," Harri added as he reached forward and grasped Lee's shoulder halting him in front of the Sick Bay door.

"Damn," Lee said, eliciting chuckles from his companions as his plan to bypass the dreaded compartment was immediately foiled.

(o1ooo

* The Mummy


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Jamieson was confounded and confused to say the least as he looked up and saw the now more robust, bearded, and deeply tanned Lee Crane enter the room, along with his escorts. He stared open mouthed for nearly a minute trying to form the questions he wanted to ask. The best he could come up with was, "What happened to you?"

Lee chuckled, as did Harri and Chip at the flustered physician. "It's a long story, Jamie," he replied. "The admiral here thinks I need a checkup, but I feel fine."

Jamie scowled at him, hearing his least favorite phrase from the man. He pointed to the exam table. "You know the drill Skipper, lose the shirt and take a seat."

Lee released a disgusted sigh, then began unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it off. Chip and Harri inhaled deeply as they regarded the large and no doubt painful bruising that was revealed on the captain's back and side. Jamie jumped immediately into action applying his BP cuff to Lee's significantly larger bicep. He pumped it up and found his pressure perfect, as was his pulse, heart, and lungs. He drew blood and handed it off to Frank for analysis, but based on what he was seeing didn't expect anything unusual. He gently probed Lee's bruised ribs and other than eliciting a couple of muted gasps when he hit a particularly painful spot, there was no serious damage done.

Will pulled off his stethoscope and stuffed it in his coat pocket. "Well I'm happy to say you're as healthy as the proverbial horse, Captain. You've quite obviously been working out and you've even managed to put on a little weight. I'd say being Pharaoh agrees with you," Jamie joked, having listened to Lee's adventure during the exam.

"I'll be honest, it's good to be the king," Lee replied and laughed, as did the others. "So am I good to go, Jamie?"

"Much as I would love to keep you overnight for observation, I will forego all the whining and release you to your cabin. You will be on light duty tomorrow, just to give you a chance to rest and to allow me the time to finish up on your bloodwork and other samples, and to review the results."

Lee smiled then instantly popped up off the exam table, grabbed his shirt and quickly pulled it on. "Thanks Jamie," he said, as he rapidly buttoned his shirt. Jamieson shook his head in exasperation and Nelson and Morton laughed.

"Directly to bed, Captain. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, and do **not** go anywhere near the Control Room, or I'll haul your six right back here. Got me?" Jamie admonished.

Lee sneered at him. "Yes, Doctor," he replied grudgingly.

"Not to worry Will, I'll personally escort Pharaoh Crane to his chambers and see that he's securely tucked in," Harri interjected. Lee blew out a disgusted sigh and rolled his eyes as Chip and Jamie chuckled.

"Then I can rest easy tonight," Will answered, with a smile. "Good night, sirs."

ooo1o)

Harri and Lee walked in silence back to Lee's quarters. Lee turned as he reached the door to his cabin to bid the admiral good night, but Harri quite obviously had other ideas and indicated Lee should enter as he followed. Once inside Lee apprehensively regarded his father as Harri claimed the corner of his desk.

"What's wrong, son?" Harri finally asked, much to Lee's surprise.

"Ah nothing's wrong, Harri. I mean other than having discovered I really was on one of Pem's magical tours. Why do you ask?"

"Just a hunch. My guess would be that it involves your brother's family, if your reaction to Chip's remark about the reason for the mummy coming after you was any indication," Harri replied.

Lee blew out a deep breath and paced slowly in front of his bunk as he collected his thoughts, all the while wondering when Harri started reading minds. "I screwed up so badly on this Harri. I violated the first cardinal rule of undercover work, and got emotionally involved. It seemed to happen almost the moment I met them all and I really came to care for them deeply," he started. "I mean I had to play the part as Pharaoh and that included being a husband and father, but that was no longer an act by the time I had to leave. We all meshed seamlessly and everything felt as if this was _my family,_ and not my brothers. I really enjoyed that part, I loved being part of a family and all that included. It hurt having to leave them forever as I headed off to war."

"It was more than that, wasn't it son?" Harri prodded.

Lee stopped in his tracks and looked closely at Harri, shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Yes it was a lot more than that. I really love, I guess loved now, Djeseretnebti. She was amazing and everything felt so right between us. It felt as if I'd known her for years and our interactions were so effortless and comfortable it was as if we'd always been together. I actually had moments where I hated my brother because he had had this fantastic woman as his partner and wife for so long," he explained.

"Harri, the day that I left for war she told me we had conceived a child and made me promise to return. You have no idea how hard that hit me. There was nothing, and I mean nothing, I wanted more than to remain at her side and be there when our child was born. I wanted to be there as he grew up and to do all those things fathers are supposed to do with their sons. I never got the opportunity to even see my son, and the real mind scramble in all of this, is that he and his mother have been dead for millennia. I feel as though I just lost my entire world in some horrific accident. I saw it coming and knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. It just hurts so much; I feel so hollow. Given the opportunity Harri, I would have stayed and lived out my life there with them."

Nelson stared at Lee, stunned by his admission. "Why didn't you stay?" he asked quietly.

"Not in the cards, according to Pem. He said although I am not born of this time, I am part of it now and I have to stay and play out this hand until the end," Lee replied. "I didn't want to know when that would occur, I would rather be surprised if you were wondering."

Harri regarded Lee silently for a moment. He could see the pain and misery in the younger man's eyes and knew how deeply he'd been affected. "I'm so sorry, son. I can only hazard a guess at what you must be feeling, but based on how I would feel if I lost you, I can relate to some of that pain," he replied quietly and gently placed his hand on Lee's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "How do you know you had a son?"

"I asked Pem following the battle, when history was supposedly set. I think for once in his life he took pity on someone and told me of their future. He said that both Sekhemkhet's family and mine survived and flourished. My brother's son ruled as Pharaoh until he was killed in a riding accident in his 20s, and the girls married well, had many children and lived long and happy lives. Following Kawab's premature death, another line took over as Pharaoh so my son never had that chance. Following the takeover, he and Djeseretnebti were taken in by Akhbar, as he had promised. They eventually married and he raised our son Banefre, as his own. Banefre became a great general in his own right and won many battles for his Pharaoh," Lee provided. "And then Pem said that my granddaughter many generations removed was Nefertiti and my line still continues."

Harri regarded Lee in amazement as he laid out his family tree. "That's amazing, son. Do you think he told you the truth?"

Lee nodded. "I think for once in his life he did. I don't know how much success I'll have but it will be an interesting research project back tracking my child and grandchildren," he said with a wry grin.

"That it will, lad. It would be fun to see some genealogist process your DNA and find you to be the progenitor and not a descendant," Harri offered with a chuckle. Lee smiled and nodded.

Harri took Lee by the shoulders and looked directly in his eyes. "Don't bury this inside lad, you need to grieve. You have suffered a very real loss and you would do a disservice to you and your family by not acknowledging all that was and was lost. I'm here for you should you need to talk or just want someone to hang out with. That's what family is for," Harri said and drew him into a tight hug, which Lee readily returned.

"Thanks, Harri. I'm more than certain I'll take you up on that," Lee replied patting his father on the back as he stepped back. God he had so missed having Harri with him as he stumbled through his life in ancient times. He would have loved to have had that sounding board and his well-considered advice helping him through it all. He then cleared his throat of the swell of emotion that had risen up. "Well, I best get to bed so Jamie won't be after your head."

"A wise idea, son. Sleep well." Harri left and returned to his own cabin, his mind reeling with everything Lee had disclosed. He immediately began formulating a plan for researching Lee's family and hopefully tracing his roots back to the beginning.

(o1ooo


	12. Chapter 12

**Epilogue**

Harriman Nelson sat at his desk going through the mail his admin assistant had just dropped into his in-box. As he sorted through the letters he came upon a large manila envelope from the Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo, Egypt. Intrigued he quickly slit open the envelope and removed the contents.

Inside was a letter from the Ministry thanking NIMR again for transporting the mummy and sarcophagus to the region, which proved crucial in reducing tensions between two Arab nations. The letter went on to describe what they had done with the mummy since it had been damaged during its transport back home.

Harri thumbed through the packet and found himself intrigued as he looked at the last sheet. After reading all the material, he picked up the phone and called Lee.

"Crane."

"Lee, please come down to my office and bring Chip with you," Harri replied.

"Is everything all right, sir?" Lee inquired.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine. I just got and interesting package in the mail and want to share the contents with you and Chip," he answered cryptically, then hung up.

Lee rose to his feet, quickly exited his office and headed directly to Chip's. He rapped on the door sill twice and entered.

"Hey Lee, what's up?" Chip asked as he looked up from a report he was reading.

"The admiral has ordered us to his office, said he had something he wants to show us. Come on," Lee explained. Chip rose to his feet immediately and followed Lee out the door.

"Did he say what it was?" Chip inquired.

"Nope he just said to come down right away."

They continued down the hall, entered Nelson's outer office and were immediately waved through by his AA. Upon entering, the admiral indicated they should take a seat at the conference table.

"Sir, what's up?" Lee inquired.

Harri picked up the packet he had received that morning and passed it to Lee, with the exception of the last sheet. "I received this letter from the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt this morning. It's basically another thank you for transporting the mummy back to Egypt and an update on what they've been doing to it since its return," he began. "Since the wrappings were so heavily damaged following its run in with our electric charge, they decided to remove them and conduct a forensic facial reconstruction on the skull."

"Really? That sounds interesting," Chip interjected. "What was the result?" he asked as Lee handed him the papers after scanning through them.

Harri picked up the last page, and laid the picture of the end result in the center of the table. The picture was that of an African man staring blankly up at them.

"Oh my god, Kasmi," Lee gasped placing his hand over his mouth and sat back hard against his chair.

"Who?" Chip asked.

Harri stared at Lee, startled by his reaction. "The letter said they carbon dated the skeleton and discovered that it dates back to sometime around 2600 B.C. The inscriptions on the sarcophagus had been mistranslated and instead of Egyptian, the body inside was supposedly that of a Nubian prince by the name of Kasmi. Wasn't that the name of the man leading the Nubian forces, Lee?"

Lee nodded his head as he looked more closely at the inscriptions on the sarcophagus, this time really reading them. "Yes, the inscriptions on this sarcophagus say that Kasmi, ruler of the southern tribes was laid to rest in this coffin after having lost his life in a great battle with the Egyptians," He looked once more at the picture on the table. "That is most definitely Kasmi, that's the man I killed protecting Akhbar," Lee said soberly.

Harri and Chip stared in surprise at Lee's ability to read the hieroglyphics, the revelation he knew the man and wondering why he hadn't mentioned that earlier. Seeing the question on their faces, Lee shrugged and sighed. "It didn't seem like that was really a pertinent fact in the grander scheme of things following my return," he replied.

"I wonder if that's what triggered the mummy to reanimate?" inquired Harri. "Chip may have been right when he joked the mummy had come back to settle an old score."

"Makes as much sense as anything," Lee conceded. "Something supernatural was surely acting upon it. Although I'm fairly sure we'll never really know the answer."

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that, Captain," answered an all too familiar voice.

All three men jumped at the unexpected voice. "Pem!" all three cursed in unison as they recognized the man now standing near the door.

Lee was instantly on his feet and moving angrily towards the unwelcome guest. Pem scurried quickly behind Nelson's desk placing a barrier between him and Crane.

"Come now Captain, must we always start our reunions like this?" the man huffed as he kept a wary eye on the advancing man.

"Lee," Nelson said quietly, halting his progress for the moment. "What do you want, Pem?" he then growled.

"Honestly, you all could use some work on your manners when greeting guests," Pem replied, as he watched Chip move opposite Lee, blocking him in behind the desk.

"What do you want, Pem?!" Lee snarled.

"I'm just here to tie up loose ends, Captain, give you a sense of closure so to speak. No need to get your knickers in a twist," he answered.

"What kind of loose ends?" Nelson asked, glaring at the most unwelcome intruder. "Wasn't everything 'set in stone' with the Egyptian's victory over the Nubians or was there something else you _forgot_ to tell Captain Crane?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's all been resolved. I'm only here to enlighten you regarding the mummy attack, on your way to the Middle East. I only discovered that little bit of subterfuge recently, and have taken actions to get even," he replied with a satisfied smirk. "That event actually vindicates my _borrowing_ of your captain to take on the Others' champion. They were in fact the ones who animated their fallen prince to try and take the good captain out of the picture before he could be brought into play and rally the troops. They really were very upset that you defeated them, Captain, and took it quite personally but you are safe from them, now."

"Is that it, Pem? Am I done in this twisted little game of yours?" Lee snarled.

"Yes Captain, you have served your purpose well. I'll not bother you again," he replied.

"See to it you don't," Nelson replied, the _or else_ part of his statement while not voiced was quite obviously implied. "Now get out of my office and off of my property, and don't come back!"

Pem sneered at the three men and their less than warm welcome given his effort to clear things up. "No pleasing some people," he said in a huff and disappeared.

"I do hope he sticks to his word," Chip groused, glad to be rid of the irksome man.

"Amen to that, Chip," Harri replied with a sigh of relief. "Although I hate to admit it, I am glad he cleared up the issue with the mummy. After that bit of unwanted excitement, I could use a drink." Harri moved to the credenza and poured three shots of the family label and passed them round.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Harri offered as a toast. They raised their glasses in agreement.

"Somehow I really don't think we've seen the last of him," Lee replied.

"One can always hope," Chip said, then polished off his drink,

Harri scooped up the papers from the Ministry, shoved them back into the envelope and dumped them in the trash. "I think we've had quite enough of that. If I never hear the word pharaoh again, it will be too soon."

(o1ooo

Having finished his drink, Lee excused himself and ambled back to his office. He looked at his calendar and realized it had been exactly 9 months since his return from Egypt and a wave of sadness and regret washed over him. He walked to his desk and was surprised to find a thick manila envelope on his chair. There was no name, no address, and no postmark. His AA was out for the day so he had no idea who had placed it there.

He cautiously examined the packet feeling for any trip wires or other mechanisms that could indicate the parcel was an explosive device. Finding none, he pulled out his letter opener and slit the top of the envelope open, looked inside and was surprised to find it full of pictures. He emptied the contents out onto his desk finding about 20 photos.

He picked up the first one and saw a grainy image of a newborn baby boy wrapped in a linen sheet. The boy had green-golden eyes, curly black hair and caramel colored skin. He thought it odd that anyone would send him baby pictures. None of his friends were expecting a baby that he knew of. He flipped the picture over looking for anything that would identify who the child was or who had sent the package, but found the back blank. He picked up another few pictures and saw the boy now two years old or so, then at four, and six and ten. He was getting more confused by the second. The boy was tall and slender, yet obviously strong and athletic, and all the pictures showed him bare chested in the water at a nondescript beach somewhere probably in the Mediterranean. He watched in wonder as the child aged before his eyes from infant to man.

Lee had to admit he was a handsome man, powerfully built, with piercing eyes, and a dazzling smile. He was down to the last picture which had landed face down on his desk. He flipped it over and froze as his heart clenched and skipped a beat. There before his eyes was Djeseretnebti lovingly holding their son in her arms, smiling unknowingly at the camera. Lee felt a sudden swell of emotion as his throat choked shut and he wiped frantically at the tears that suddenly ran down his cheeks.

He gently caressed the image of _his_ wife and then their son happily cuddled in her arms. As he brought himself back under control he softly kissed each image in the picture and held it to his chest. He smiled warmly as he fondly recalled his time with Djeseretnebti, his family, and was grateful for the opportunity to at least see his son. _It was good to be the king,_ he thought to himself. "Thank you, Pem," he said quietly

 **The End.**

Thank you all for reading my story and for all the great feedback. CK


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